Collective agreements regulate the working conditions and benefits that apply to employees. They complement laws regulating working conditions and often provide much better conditions for employees than those provided by law, including
- Extra parental pay if you have children
- Extra financial compensation if you fall ill or have an accident
- Occupational pension, which is an important complement to the national pension
- Additional compensation and support to find a new job if you become unemployed
- the right to an annual pay review.
Collective agreements also regulate how cooperation should take place, i.e. when employers and the local trade union association work together on, for example, work environment issues.
Do you have a collective agreement?
Collective agreements apply to everyone in a workplace where the employer has chosen to have a collective agreement. Ask your employer, HR or the local trade union if you have a collective agreement, and if so, which one, at your workplace.
Collective agreements are signed between trade unions and employers' organizations for a sector or industry. In the central and local government sectors, employees are covered by collective agreements. In the private sector, it is up to an employer to choose whether to have collective agreements for their employees.
If your employer has signed a collective agreement, this means that you can be sure that you have good working conditions, security and benefits.
If your employer doesn't have a collective agreement, your employment contract becomes even more important.
Read more about what to consider in your employment contract if there is no collective agreement.
common terms and benefits in collective agreements
- How the annual pay review should be carried out.
- extra vacation days
- overtime pay, if any
- notice periods
- Parental pay to supplement the parental allowance from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency.
- The agreement may also mean that the employer will continue to pay contributions to the old-age pension while you are on parental leave.
- Occupational pensions as an important complement to the national pension
- Sickness insurance, which supplements the sickness benefit from the Social Insurance Agency. If you are unable to work in the future, collective agreements may entitle you to compensation to supplement sickness benefit from the Social Insurance Agency.
- Occupational injury insurance, which can cover any loss of income if an accident happens to you at work, on the way to or from work, or if you become ill because of your work. Occupational injury insurance supplements statutory benefits (sick pay and sickness benefit).
- Support to get back to work if you are made redundant, via so-called restructuring agreements or security agreements.
- the right to skills development to increase workers' security in a changing labor market and the opportunity for personal development
- Compensation for dependants if you die in the middle of your working life from survivor's or family pensions, as well as occupational group life insurance (TGL).
- Transitional study support for those who have worked for at least eight years and want to strengthen their skills or change careers. You can find out which transition organization you belong to here.
Collective agreements are sector-specific, which means that the benefits in the agreements may be slightly different depending on the sector.
Many of the benefits included in collective agreements are administered by different insurance companies. Who they are depends on the sector in which you work.
- In the state sector, it is AFA Försäkring
External link, opens in new window. and Statens Pensionsverk (SPV) External link, opens in new window. - In municipalities and regions, it is AFA Försäkring External link, opens in new window. and KPA Pension External link, opens in new window.
- In the private sector, you can get an overall overview of your collectively agreed insurance and occupational pension via avtalat.se External link, opens in new window.