Social Partners
Articles on the Social Partners.
Finland’s new government wants major changes to labour law
A new centre-right government started governing in Finland on 20 June after winning April’s elections, and there is now talk of an historic paradigm change. Petteri Orpo’s four party coalition wants to make major changes in the labour market.
Morten Skov Christiansen new head of the Danish Trade Union Confederation
A new President of the Danish Trade Union Confederation FH has been unanimously voted in by members.
Crisis at the top of Denmark’s trade union movement
There is a change of leadership at the Danish Trade Union Confederation FH after allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
Iceland's heated trade union row over – but embers remain
On 28 April, The Icelandic Confederation of Labour (ASÍ) elected Finnbjörn A. Hermannsson as new president. He was the only one who ran.
25 per cent of Norwegian workers say they have lost influence
One in four workers in Norway feel they have lost influence in the workplace, according to the 2022 Medbestemmelsesbarometeret (Joint decision-making barometer). This is felt most acutely among public sector workers.
The labour ministers consider collective agreements' position in the Nordics
The Nordic governments should introduce a new kind of support where employers who sign up to collective agreements pay lower employer taxes for their employees. That was what Fafo researcher Jon Erik Dølvik proposed when he presented a report about collective agreements in the Nordics during the Nordic labour ministers’ meeting.
Nordic trade unions “too distant from rest of EU”
Who gains the most out of being a fly on the wall at the Council of Nordic Trade Unions congress in Oslo – the journalist or the social anthropologist? I suspect the latter, but since I am a journalist I will present the big news first: Iceland will host a tripartite meeting on green and just reform on 1 December 2023.
Will the climate issue rejuvenate Nordic trade unions?
What signals were the most important to come out of the NFS congress in Oslo? We asked Ragnhild Lied, President of the Union confederation, to sum up her impressions. “What is clear now is that we are experiencing so many crises at once,” she says.
"Yellow" trade union struggles to gain foothold in Norway
Krifa claims to be a good alternative to traditional trade unions in Norway, especially as union membership is up among employers but down among employees. Traditional unions feel Krifa is too close to employers and disagree with their anti-strike policy.
Nordic nuances regarding whistleblowers and paternity leave
Nordic citizens have many rights that can seem nearly utopian to people elsewhere in the world. But in certain areas, there are surprisingly large differences also between Nordic countries. Paternity leave is one example.
Sweden lands new landmark main agreement
Finally, the large labour law reform which has been called a structural shift for the Swedish model is in place. LO, PTK Council for Negotiation and Cooperation and the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise have signed the new basic agreement on “security, transition and employment protection”.
Nordics split as EU minimum wage proposal delayed
Is time almost up for the proposed European minimum wage? Much is pointing in that direction. The war in Ukraine and the French presidential election has put breaks on the issue. And there is still great disagreement within the EU.
Swedish LO: The ETUC no longer represents us
The Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO) has stopped paying its membership fee to the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and will no longer participate in the organisation’s meetings – all in protest against the ETUC’s handling of the directive on adequate minimum wages.
New Icelandic employers' organisation while trade union chair resigns
It has been an eventful month for the Icelandic labour market. On the employer’s side, representatives of smaller companies formally founded a new association to further their interests, since they believe that they are not properly looked after elsewhere. At the same time, the chairman of one of the largest trade unions in the country resigned after accusations from union employees of bullying.
Hadia Tajik, a trade union-supporting labour minister
Hadia Tajik, Norway's new Minister of Labour and Social Inclusion, is a strong defender of trade unions. She will be responsible for what the red-green coalition government calls a spring clean of the labour market.
Collective agreement extensions – the second best alternative?
Why is there so much resistance in the Nordics against the EU Commission directive on minimum wages? The answer is that the countries believe they have a nearly perfect system of collective agreements, so why change something that works? In many European countries where the social partners are weaker, extensions of collective agreements form an important part of the wage model.
"Important to continue the extension of collective agreements"
Many workers enjoy improved conditions thanks to the extension of collective agreements. One leader of a trade union organising fisheries workers believes the solution must continue even though it is not a magic solution.
Labour shortages all around, including in the Danish film industry
It is hard to find tradespeople who have time for new projects and the Danish film industry is short of everything from actors to scriptwriters. Businesses are asking the government for more foreign labour.
Why Iceland's wage increase outstrips the rest of Europe
In August, Iceland's monthly wage index increased by 0.3%. The index had then risen by 7.9% in the last 12 months, which is more than in most other European countries. The increase from the first to the second quarter of this year was 8.1%, the third-highest in Europe.
Has it become harder to govern the Nordics?
Three of the five Nordic countries are now run by minority governments. Does this mean the political pillar of the Nordic model has grown weaker? While the power of the major established parties is dwindling across the Nordics, trade unions and employers gather in ever-larger organisations.
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