Social Partners
Articles on the Social Partners.
Hot spring and summer for Iceland’s collective bargaining
Iceland’s newly appointed state mediator Aðalsteinn Leifsson had no easy task when he started work on 1 April 2020. The corona pandemic had a brutal effect on Iceland’s economy. Challenging mediating tasks included wage negotiations for cabin crew, nurses and upper secondary school teachers.
Susanna Gideonsson: We must defend the Swedish model
Swedish LO’s new President, Susanna Gideonsson, has deep roots in the trade union movement. At 16 she started getting engaged in work against unfair conditions at work, and now she represents 1.4 million LO members across 14 unions. Her current main challenge is to protect the Swedish model against political interference in labour law reform.
A silver lining for working life during corona
Improved gender equality, less stress and more people who feel they have a meaningful job with positive challenges. Those are some of the surprising results found in the 2020 Norwegian working life barometer.
Christer Holmlund: Teachers' psychological strain a theme for NLS
With the reopening of Nordic schools post-Corona, there needs to be more focus on teachers’ working conditions. They made a big digital leap with distance learning and this has been tiring, says Christer Holmlund, the new Secretary-General for NLS, the Nordic Teachers’ Union.
Nordic labour market crisis: Professor sees hope
The coronavirus creates a crisis for Nordic businesses and workers, but hope too of a more social and green labour market and society, argues Henning Jørgensen, Professor of labour market policy and co-author of a new book.
Letter to the EU exposes cracks within European Trade Union Confederation
It is with regret that we need to inform the Commission that the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) reply regarding the consultation on European minimum wages is not representative for us. That is what ten trade union confederations from Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden write in a letter which highlights a historic crack in ETUC.
Tuula Haatainen new Finnish Minister of Employment
Experienced Haatainen (59) joins a government which features numerous young female minister. So what experience do Finnish politicians have from real working life? The question arose with Finland’s sudden change of government in mid-December.
Oslo Foodora riders on strike
It has become an increasingly common sight in many cities: Foodora’s bike riders home-delivering restaurant food. But right now in Oslo, hundreds of striking riders are cycling around to gather support for their demand for a collective agreement. Other countries are taking note.
What are the critical issues for Nordic trade unions?
What goes on inside the head of a trade union leader? At the NFS congress in Malmö they were challenged to spend one minute to describe what they see as the greatest challenge going forward. Here are some of the answers:
Nordic trade unions: climate action must be fair
”There are no jobs on a dead planet” was the most cited slogan at the Nordic trade unions’ congress in Malmö from 3 - 5 September. The climate issue is at the forefront of the trade union movement’s mind too.
ILO's DG Guy Ryder finds inspiration from problem-solving Iceland
Why does the Director-General of ILO choose Iceland as one of his last stops before the organisation’s centenary celebrations kick off? Why Reykjavík and not Paris or Rome?
Norway: Gender pay gap remains, but influence is slightly up
The gender pay gap among full-time employees in Norway remains at 20 %. After adjusting for age, education, sector and several other factors, there is still a 13 % gender difference.
Future of work in Iceland
In the lead up to the International Labour Organisation's centenary, the last our of four Nordic conferences on the future of work have been held in Reykjavik. ILO Director-General Guy Ryder got updated information on how Iceland's paternal leave legislation and equal pay standard work. The Nordics' most important role is to lead by example, he pointed out.
Swedish women in blue-collar jobs lose out
The gender wage gap continues to narrow in Sweden. But take a closer look at the numbers, and you see that not everyone is part of the positive development. Ahead of the 8th of March, LO again warns that women in blue-collar jobs are lagging behind.
Lisbeth Dalgaard Svanholm aims to gather big and small employers
While the Danish trade union movement has got a new main organisation, their counterparts, DA, have got a new female leader who aims to bring together some very different member companies.
New Norwegian IA agreement: More of the same, but fewer conflicting goals
After 17 years, the Inclusive Workplace Agreement (IA) was renegotiated and changed in late 2018. No-one still knows for sure how to reduce sick leave levels, but the remedies in the IA agreement will now be available to all companies.
Danish trade union movement gathers the troops
A joint trade union confederation with all of the country's unions as members? Denmark took a big step in that direction on 1 January.
What happened to the spirit of consent?
Have we become less good at solving conflicts in the Nordic region? Are we seeing a weakening of the spirit of consent which has made it possible to reach compromises that everyone can live with? This issue of the Nordic Labour Journal looks at the debate in the five Nordic countries.
Nothing is sacred in the debate about the Swedish model
The current Swedish collective agreement does not run out until 2020. That should normally mean a period of calm for the Swedish labour market. But the debate is raging: Big changes to the labour market could be just around the corner, depending on who ends up forming a government.
Finnish government on collision course with unions
The conflict between the Finnish government and trade unions over weakening employment protection legislation has led to several political strikes in Finland. The conflict seems to have been solved thanks to classic tripartite negotiations, yet the future of the tripartite model is increasingly unclear.
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