Access rights for regional safety representatives

The party programme explicitly mentions laws that strengthen safety representatives as an example of the strategic reforms the party wants to implement, and wants to change legislation to strengthen employees' positions. The counter-proposal's requirement for expanded access for regional safety representatives in the work environment law is precisely such a reform. The election manifesto moreover promises to defend strong labour law.

• legislation that strengthens safety representativesdecisive»genom att stärka skyddsombuden« (party programme ↗)“by strengthening safety representatives”
• legislation strengthens employees»Vi vill förändra konflikträtten och annan lagstiftning för att« (party programme ↗)“We want to change conflict law and other legislation to”
• strong labour law»Vänsterpartiet kommer att fortsätta försvara förhandlingsrätten och en stark arbetsrättslagstiftning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party will continue to defend bargaining rights and strong labour law.”
• employees' power over their work»En central uppgift i valet 2022 är att driva frågan om de anställdas makt över sitt arbete och att stödja fackligt aktivas kamp för avtal som ger reell beslutanderätt till de fackliga organisationerna.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“A central task in the 2022 election is to drive the question of employees' power over their work and to support actively unionized workers' struggle for agreements that give real decision-making power to the union organizations.”

The plan has as an explicit goal strengthening safety representatives and requires strong labor law legislation and a safe work environment without fatal accidents. A law change that gives regional safety representatives expanded access rights is precisely such strengthening. The plan also links this to forceful action against workplace crime, which often exists at workplaces without local union presence.

• strengthened safety representativesdecisive»Stärka skyddsombuden.« (party programme ↗)“Strengthen the safety representatives.”
• safe work environment»Säker och hållbar arbetsmiljö med stopp för dödsolyckor på eller till följd av jobbet.« (party programme ↗)“Safe and sustainable work environment with a stop for fatal accidents at or as a result of work.”
• strong labor law»Stark arbetsrättslig lagstiftning.« (party programme ↗)“Strong labor law legislation.”
• against workplace crime»Krafttag mot arbetslivskriminaliteten.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Forceful action against workplace crime.”

The plan wants to strengthen workers' rights, make clearer demands on employers and give employees more influence over their workplace, and it encourages trade union organization as a key part of the Swedish model. An expanded right of access for regional safety representatives at workplaces with collective agreements is a direct expression of this. The plan's goal that no one should be harmed or become ill from their work strengthens the conclusion.

• strengthened workers' rightsdecisive»Miljöpartiet vill stärka arbetstagarnas rättigheter och ställa tydligare krav på arbetsgivare« (party programme ↗)“The Greens want to strengthen workers' rights and make clearer demands on employers”
• employee influence»En hållbar arbetsmiljö förutsätter även att de anställda får inflytande över sin arbetsplats.« (party programme ↗)“A sustainable work environment also requires that employees have influence over their workplace.”
• trade union organization»Därför ska facklig organisering uppmuntras.« (party programme ↗)“Therefore, trade union organization shall be encouraged.”
• safe working environment»Ingen ska behöva bli sjuk, än mindre riskera sitt liv, för att kunna« (party programme ↗)“No one should have to become ill, let alone risk their life, to be able to”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme establishes that the rules of the labour market should as far as possible be determined by the parties rather than through legislation and that laws should not override freedom of contract. Legislating on expanded access rights for regional safety representatives goes against that arrangement; industry-wide collective agreements are the plan's way. Furthermore, the election manifesto wants to reduce the regulatory burden on small businesses.

• parties before legislationdecisive»arbetsmarknadens parter i stället för genom lagstiftning. Det skapar en flexibel och långsiktigt hållbar arbetsmarknad och flyttar makten närmare dem som berörs.« (party programme ↗)“the labour market's parties rather than through legislation. This creates a flexible and long-term sustainable labour market and moves power closer to those affected.”
• freedom of contract protected»bör lagar och regler inte köra över den fria avtalsrätten« (party programme ↗)“laws and regulations should not override freedom of contract”
• less red tape for small businesses»Vi ska skapa bättre förutsättningar för dem att lyckas, med lägre skatt, mindre regelkrångel och en starkare arbetslinje.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall create better conditions for them to succeed, with lower taxes, less red tape and a stronger work ethic.”

The party programme establishes that the Swedish labour market model, where conditions are determined mainly by agreement rather than by law, contributes to responsibility-taking, and that the regulatory burden for small businesses shall decrease. Writing an expanded right of access for regional safety representatives into the working environment law goes in the opposite direction. Trade union freedom is valued in the plan, but the path indicated is collective agreements rather than new legislation.

• agreements before lawdecisive»Den svenska arbetsmarknadsmodellen, där villkoren i huvudsak bestäms genom avtal och inte i lag, bidrar till ansvarstagande på arbetsmarknaden.« (party programme ↗)“The Swedish labour market model, where conditions are determined mainly by agreement rather than by law, contributes to responsibility-taking in the labour market.”
• trade union freedom through agreements»Den fackliga friheten och möjligheten till kollektivavtal är en viktig del av förenings- och avtalsfriheten.« (party programme ↗)“Trade union freedom and the possibility of collective agreements are an important part of freedom of association and freedom to enter agreements.”
• reduced regulatory burden for businesses»Regelbördan för små företag ska minska, genom ansträngningar på både kommunal, statlig och europeisk nivå, och offentliga beslut analyseras ur småföretagarperspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“The regulatory burden for small businesses shall decrease, through efforts at municipal, national and European levels, and public decisions shall be analysed from a small business perspective.”

The plan insists that trade unions and employers themselves must control their areas of activity and agreements and that politicians must resist the temptation to interfere unnecessarily. A statutory expansion of the regional safety representatives' right of access goes outside that division of roles, and the plan also wants new rules to be tested from a small business perspective. The plan's high ambition for occupational health and safety legislation pulls in the other direction, therefore the certainty is low.

• party autonomy on the labour marketdecisive»verksamhetsområden och avtal. Politiker måste motstå frestelsen att i onödan lägga sig i.« (party programme ↗)“areas of activity and agreements. Politicians must resist the temptation to interfere unnecessarily.”
• small business perspective on laws»Tillkommande lagar bör prövas ur ett« (party programme ↗)“Future laws should be tested from a”
• the state's occupational health role»Staten ska bland annat genom rådgivning, stöd och kontroll aktivt verka för en förbättrad« (party programme ↗)“The state must among other things through advice, support and control actively work for an improved”
• strong trade unions»Starka och partipolitiskt oberoende fackföreningar är en oundgänglig del av ett demokratiskt« (party programme ↗)“Strong and politically independent trade unions are an essential part of a democratic”

The plan does not address the Employment Environment Act or regional occupational health and safety representatives' right of access. The closest-lying principle is that the regulatory burden on companies should decrease significantly and that complicated bureaucracy is described as an obstacle to innovation and growth. A statutorily expanded right of access to all workplaces runs the opposite direction.

• reduced regulatory burdendecisive»Ta bort en tredjedel av företagens administrationskostnader och en tredjedel av regelkrånglet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Remove a third of companies' administrative costs and a third of regulatory red tape”
• bureaucracy hinders companies»Men höga skatter, krångliga tillståndsprocesser och byråkrati sätter käppar i hjulet för innovation och tillväxt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“But high taxes, complicated permit processes and bureaucracy set obstacles to innovation and growth.”
• restraint with state intervention»Statliga ingripanden är långt ifrån alltid« (party programme ↗)“State interventions are far from always”

The plan explicitly wants to depoliticize workplace health and safety work and wind down trade unions' preferential right to appoint safety representatives, and states that the power to appoint local safety representatives should primarily lie with the employees at the workplace concerned. A statutory extended access right for trade union-appointed regional safety representatives goes directly against this. The plan defends the parties' model at the same time, to which the access issue is referred.

• wound-down trade union preferential rightdecisive»Sverigedemokraterna vill avpolitisera arbetsmiljöarbetet genom att avveckla politiskt styrda fackförbunds företrädesrätt att utse skyddsombud.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Sweden Democrats want to depoliticize workplace health and safety work by winding down politically controlled trade unions' preferential right to appoint safety representatives.”
• safety representatives appointed locally»Makten att utse lokala skyddsombud ska i första hand ligga hos medarbetarna på berörd arbetsplats.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The power to appoint local safety representatives should primarily lie with the employees at the workplace concerned.”
• depoliticized workplace health and safety»Avpolitisera arbetsmiljöarbetet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Depoliticize workplace health and safety work”
• parties' model before legislation»Försvara den svenska modellen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Defend the Swedish model”