2024-02-152023/24:AU5 · p.14AULabour market
The Swedish labour market model and the EU
The Swedish labour-market model and EU legislation
What's at stake: The decision concerns how much power the EU should have over Swedish wage and labour-market issues, and whether the Swedish model of collective agreements instead of legislation can remain unchanged or risks being eroded by EU initiatives.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether the government should be more active and take steps to counter EU legislation that threatens the Swedish labour-market model, or whether the government's current stance of defending the model within existing frameworks is considered sufficient.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee shares the concern about EU legislation that threatens the Swedish labour-market model and has consistently argued that labour-market issues without a cross-border dimension should be handled nationally, but notes that the government is already clear about defending the model in EU contexts and sees no reason for the Riksdag to take further initiatives. The committee therefore rejects the motions.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 15 (C)
The reservation (C) wants the government to take action to counter all EU legislation that threatens the Swedish labour-market model. The reasoning is that the European Pillar of Social Rights has already led to binding EU legislation in the labour-market field, and that decisions on the labour market and social safety nets should be made nationally, close to those affected, rather than shifted to the EU level.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 15 by C.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
The decision would have gone the other way
Explicit commitments that contradicted the vote: MModeraterna, SDSverigedemokraterna, VVänsterpartiet
Ja 279–21Nej 135–165
Counterfactual: the parties above are moved to the position their own documents explicitly point at, carrying their whole contingent present. Every other party keeps its real figures, including dissenters and absentees.
How the AI parties would have voted
For each party: what its own plan – election manifesto and party programme – argues for in this case, next to how the party actually voted. The AI can only answer Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| AI | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | Yes 21/0/0/3 | differsagainst own programme | confidence: high | explicit |
| S | Yes | Yes 93/0/0/13 | match | confidence: medium | derived |
| MP | No | Yes 13/0/0/5 | differs | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| C | No | No 0/21/0/3 | match | confidence: high | explicit |
| L | No | Yes 14/0/0/2 | differs | confidence: low | derived |
| KD | No | Yes 14/0/0/5 | differs | confidence: medium | derived |
| M | No | Yes 60/0/0/8 | differsagainst own programme | confidence: medium | explicit |
| SD | No | Yes 63/0/0/9 | differsagainst own programme | confidence: high | explicit |
Committee proposal
Parliament rejects the motions 2023/24:2464 by Jonny Cato et al. (C) claim 9 and 2023/24:2657 by Kadir Kasirga et al. (S).
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna 2023/24:2464 av Jonny Cato m.fl. (C) yrkande 9 och 2023/24:2657 av Kadir Kasirga m.fl. (S).
Riksdag decision: Parliament said no to 45 proposals in motions about labor law from the regular motion period 2023. The motions deal, among other things, with fixed-term employment, employment level and right to leave. Parliament refers, among other things, to the fact that the current regulations do not need the changes proposed and to the parties' responsibility in the Swedish labor market.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants the government to review posting regulations and adapt them according to lex Laval. (C) — Reservation 15
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The plan generally opposes proposals that increase EU power in daily work and wants to return power to member states, and drives the demand for Swedish withdrawal from the EU.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan generally opposes proposals that increase EU power in daily work and wants to return power to member states, and drives the demand for Swedish withdrawal from the EU. It furthermore demands that the right to sign national collective agreements is constitutionally protected and that negotiation rights and strong labour law are defended. Countering EU legislation that threatens the Swedish model therefore follows directly from the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Planen motsätter sig i det dagliga arbetet generellt förslag som ökar EU:s makt och vill föra tillbaka makt till medlemsländerna, och driver kravet på svenskt utträde ur EU. Den kräver dessutom att rätten att teckna nationella kollektivavtal grundlagsskyddas och att förhandlingsrätten och en stark arbetsrättslagstiftning försvaras. Att motverka EU-lagstiftning som hotar den svenska modellen följer därför direkt av planen.
- no to increased EU powerdecisive»med andra vänsterkrafter. I det dagliga arbetet motsätter sig Vänsterpartiet generellt förslag som ökar EU:s makt och försöker istället föra« (party programme ↗)“with other left forces. In daily work, the Left Party generally opposes proposals that increase EU power and instead tries to return”
- protect national collective agreements»protokoll inom EU som i grundlag slår fast rätten att teckna nationella« (party programme ↗)“protocols within the EU that constitutionally guarantee the right to sign national”
- defend negotiation rights»Vänsterpartiet kommer att fortsätta försvara förhandlingsrätten och en stark arbetsrättslagstiftning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party will continue to defend negotiation rights and strong labour law.”
- Swedish withdrawal from the EU»Vänsterpartiet driver kravet om ett svenskt utträde ur EU. Möjligheterna att lämna EMU ska formaliseras och hela europrojekt bör« (party programme ↗)“The Left Party drives the demand for Swedish withdrawal from the EU. The opportunities to leave EMU should be formalized and the entire European project should”
The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.
The plan explicitly wants free movement to be balanced by common minimum rules within the EU to protect employees and for a European policy for full employment to be developed.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan explicitly wants free movement to be balanced by common minimum rules within the EU to protect employees and for a European policy for full employment to be developed. Opposing all EU legislation in the labour market field contradicts this commitment, even though the plan also holds firm to the principle of subsidiarity. The plan sees EU cooperation as the basis for solving common problems, so the counter-proposal's general rejection of EU rules has no support.
Original (Swedish)
Planen vill uttryckligen att den fria rörligheten balanseras av gemensamma minimiregler inom EU till skydd för de anställda och att en europeisk politik för full sysselsättning utvecklas. Att motverka all EU-lagstiftning på arbetsmarknadsområdet strider mot detta åtagande, även om planen också håller fast vid subsidiaritetsprincipen. Planen ser EU-samarbetet som grunden för att lösa gemensamma problem, varför motförslagets generella avvisande av EU-regler inte har stöd.
- common EU minimum rules for employeesdecisive»gemensamma minimiregler inom EU till skydd för de anställdas« (party programme ↗)“common minimum rules within the EU to protect employees'”
- European employment policy»Vi vill utveckla en europeisk politik för full sysselsättning, som bygger på respekt för« (party programme ↗)“We want to develop a European policy for full employment that is based on respect for”
- EU cooperation as basis»Vi är övertygade om att EU-samarbetet är grunden för att lösa många av vår tids svåraste problem.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We are convinced that EU cooperation is the basis for solving many of this age's most difficult problems.”
- decisions close to citizens»Den så kallade subsidiaritetsprincipen ska följas.« (party programme ↗)“The so-called principle of subsidiarity shall be followed.”
The party programme protects the Swedish model where the parties themselves negotiate conditions on the labour market, and establishes that the EU today decides over areas that are better handled nationally or locally and that central control shall decrease.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme protects the Swedish model where the parties themselves negotiate conditions on the labour market, and establishes that the EU today decides over areas that are better handled nationally or locally and that central control shall decrease. To counter EU legislation that threatens the Swedish model and keep labour market decisions national follows from these commitments and from the plan's decentralist basic view.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet värnar den svenska modellen där parterna själva förhandlar fram villkoren på arbetsmarknaden, och slår fast att EU i dag bestämmer över områden som bättre hanteras nationellt eller lokalt och att centralstyrningen ska minska. Att motverka EU-lagstiftning som hotar den svenska modellen och hålla arbetsmarknadsbeslut nationella följer av dessa åtaganden och av planens decentralistiska grundsyn.
- the Swedish model is protecteddecisive»Vi värnar den svenska modellen där arbetsmarknadens parter gemensamt förhandlar fram vad som« (party programme ↗)“We protect the Swedish model where labour market parties jointly negotiate what”
- the EU decides over too much»som unionen inte borde hantera, som skulle hanteras bättre regionalt, nationellt eller lokalt.« (party programme ↗)“that the union should not handle, that should be handled better regionally, nationally or locally.”
- decreased central control»Centralstyrning ska minska och de enskilda« (party programme ↗)“Central control shall decrease and the individual”
- protected labour law»Vi vill värna en fungerande arbetsrätt och ge« (party programme ↗)“We want to protect a functioning labour law and give”
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 states that the EU must become narrower but sharper, that only decisions that must be made jointly shall be decided at EU level and that issues can be moved back to national level.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme states that the EU must become narrower but sharper, that only decisions that must be made jointly shall be decided at EU level and that issues can be moved back to national level. The programme also wants labour market rules to be set by the parties and not by legislation. To counteract EU legislation that threatens the Swedish labour market model therefore follows directly from the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet slår fast att EU ska bli smalare men vassare, att endast de beslut som måste fattas gemensamt ska beslutas på EU-nivå och att frågor bör kunna flyttas tillbaka till nationell nivå. Programmet vill dessutom att arbetsmarknadens spelregler sätts av parterna och inte av lagstiftning. Att motverka EU-lagstiftning som hotar den svenska arbetsmarknadsmodellen följer därför direkt av planen.
- narrower but sharper EUdecisive»EU måste bli smalare, men vassare, göra färre saker men göra dem bättre.« (party programme ↗)“The EU must become narrower, but sharper, do fewer things but do them better.”
- decisions close to citizens»endast de beslut som måste fattas gemensamt beslutas på EU-nivå« (party programme ↗)“only decisions that must be made jointly are decided at EU level”
- multi-party model before legislation»bör lagar och regler inte köra över den fria avtalsrätten« (party programme ↗)“laws and regulations should not override the freedom of contract”
- return issues to national level»öppna för att frågor flyttas tillbaka från EU till nationell nivå.« (party programme ↗)“open for issues to be moved back from the EU to national level.”
The plan establishes that the design of basic social protection shall mainly be decided by member states and that the EU shall focus on matters where national levels do not suffice, while at the same time valuing the Swedish negotiating model highly.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan establishes that the design of basic social protection shall mainly be decided by member states and that the EU shall focus on matters where national levels do not suffice, while at the same time valuing the Swedish negotiating model highly. This speaks for the counter-proposal's requirement to protect the model against EU legislation in the labour market field. At the same time, the plan wants more, not less, European cooperation, which is why the conclusion is uncertain.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att utformningen av det grundläggande sociala skyddet i huvudsak ska avgöras av medlemsländerna och att EU ska ägna sig åt frågor där de nationella nivåerna inte räcker till, samtidigt som den svenska avtalsmodellen värderas högt. Det talar för motförslagets krav att värna modellen mot EU-lagstiftning på arbetsmarknadsområdet. Samtidigt vill planen mer, inte mindre, europeiskt samarbete, varför slutsatsen är osäker.
- social protection decided nationallydecisive»Hur det grundläggande skyddet ska utformas ska i huvudsak avgöras av« (party programme ↗)“How basic protection shall be designed shall mainly be decided by”
- conditions through negotiation»Den svenska arbetsmarknadsmodellen, där villkoren i huvudsak bestäms genom« (party programme ↗)“The Swedish labour market model, where conditions are mainly determined through”
- subsidiarity in the EU»lokala, regionala och nationella nivåerna inte räcker till.« (party programme ↗)“local, regional and national levels do not suffice.”
- more European cooperation»Europa behöver mer – inte mindre – samarbete.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Europe needs more – not less – cooperation.”
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 plan requires that EU's areas of competence be limited to prevent unwelcome centralization and that power lies at the right level according to the subsidiarity principle.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan requires that EU's areas of competence be limited to prevent unwelcome centralization and that power lies at the right level according to the subsidiarity principle. In the labor market area, it places the design on the parties and rejects state steering of wage formation. The counter-proposal's requirement for measures against EU legislation that threatens the Swedish model thus follows from the plan's commitments.
Original (Swedish)
Planen kräver att EU:s kompetensområden avgränsas för att förhindra ovälkommen centralisering och att makten ligger på rätt nivå enligt subsidiaritetsprincipen. På arbetsmarknadsområdet lägger den utformningen på parterna och avvisar statlig styrning av lönebildningen. Motförslagets krav på åtgärder mot EU-lagstiftning som hotar den svenska modellen följer därmed av planens åtaganden.
- limited EU competencedecisive»En avgränsning av EU:s uppgifter är nödvändig för att« (party programme ↗)“A limitation of EU's tasks is necessary to”
- the parties design the conditions»Utformningen ska göras av arbetsmarknadens parter.« (party programme ↗)“The design shall be done by the labor market parties.”
- no political steering of agreements»Statlig styrning av lönebildningen i form av inkomstpolitik avvisas.« (party programme ↗)“State steering of wage formation in the form of income policy is rejected.”
- subsidiarity as power distribution»Rätt makt på rätt plats« (party programme ↗)“Right power at right place”
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 plan states that decisions should be made at the lowest possible level and that the EU should focus on what Sweden cannot handle alone, as well as that EU directives as a general rule should be implemented at minimum level.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan states that decisions should be made at the lowest possible level and that the EU should focus on what Sweden cannot handle alone, as well as that EU directives as a general rule should be implemented at minimum level. That it counteracts EU legislation that affects the Swedish labour market model follows directly from these commitments. The plan is at the same time explicitly EU-positive in matters such as trade, climate, migration and security.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att beslut ska fattas på lägsta möjliga nivå och att EU ska fokusera på det Sverige inte kan hantera ensamt, samt att EU-direktiv som huvudregel ska genomföras på miniminivå. Att motverka EU-lagstiftning som griper in i den svenska arbetsmarknadsmodellen följer direkt av dessa åtaganden. Planen är samtidigt uttalat EU-positiv i frågor som handel, klimat, migration och säkerhet.
- subsidiaritetdecisive»Beslut ska fattas på lägsta möjliga nivå, så nära medborgarna som möjligt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Decisions shall be made at the lowest possible level, as close to citizens as possible.”
- EU-direktiv på miniminivå»Minska regelkrånglet och onödig byråkrati, bland annat genom att motverka överimplementering i Sverige av EU-beslut – som huvudregel ska EU-direktiv genomföras på miniminivå« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, among other things by counteracting over-implementation in Sweden of EU decisions - as a general rule EU directives shall be implemented at minimum level”
- avgränsat EU-uppdrag»EU:s fokus ska ligga på att lösa problem som Sverige inte kan hantera ensamt, till exempel handel, klimat, migration och säkerhet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The EU's focus should be on solving problems that Sweden cannot handle alone, for example trade, climate, migration and security.”
flags: citat_migrerat
The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.
The plan states that Swedish employees' position shall never be sacrificed as a concession to the EU and that Swedish control over the labour market model and welfare policy must be secured for future generations.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan states that Swedish employees' position shall never be sacrificed as a concession to the EU and that Swedish control over the labour market model and welfare policy must be secured for future generations. It also requires that power transfers to the EU be stopped. The counter-proposal's demand for measures against all EU legislation that threatens the model is therefore the plan's own line.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att svenska löntagares ställning aldrig ska offras som eftergift till EU och att svensk kontroll över arbetsmarknadsmodellen och välfärdspolitiken måste säkras för framtida generationer. Den kräver också att maktöverföringar till EU stoppas. Motförslagets krav på åtgärder mot all EU-lagstiftning som hotar modellen är därmed planens egen linje.
- no concessions to the EUdecisive»Svenska löntagares ställning ska aldrig offras som eftergift till EU.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish employees' position shall never be sacrificed as a concession to the EU.”
- national control over the model»Svensk kontroll över vår arbetsmarknadsmodell och välfärdspolitik måste säkras för framtida generationer.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish control over our labour market model and welfare policy must be secured for future generations.”
- stop power transfer»Stoppa maktöverföringar och EU-skatter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop power transfers and EU taxes.”
- the Swedish model»Försvara den svenska modellen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Defend the Swedish model.”
The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.
Share and embed
Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2023/24:AU5)
- Committee report full text (HB01AU5)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2023/24:1240 — Företag inom besöksnäringen av Martina Johansson (C)
- Motion 2023/24:1282 — Utvärdering av LAS och tillämpningen av hyvling av Ola Möller och Hanna Westerén (båda S)
- Motion 2023/24:1307 — Utökat skydd mot föreningsrättskränkning av Leif Nysmed m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:1320 — Plattformsekonomin av Jamal El-Haj (S)
- Motion 2023/24:1326 — En trygg och rättvis arbetsmarknad av Jamal El-Haj (S)
- Motion 2023/24:1466 — Rättvist förfarande vid arbetstvister av Markus Wiechel och Alexander Christiansson (båda SD)
- Motion 2023/24:1698 — Rätt till heltid av Gunilla Carlsson och Aylin Nouri (båda S)
- Motion 2023/24:1835 — Huvudentreprenörsansvar av Lars Mejern Larsson och Mattias Jonsson (båda S)
- Motion 2023/24:1988 — Utökat skydd vid uppsägning vid graviditetspenning av Zara Leghissa m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:2128 — Heltidsarbete som norm inom offentlig sektor av Roger Hedlund och Mattias Eriksson Falk (båda SD)
- Motion 2023/24:2464 — Arbetsmarknad av Jonny Cato m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2023/24:2620 — Utgiftsområde 14 Arbetsmarknad och arbetsliv av Teresa Carvalho m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:2632 — Handel och exportfrämjande av Fredrik Olovsson m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:2657 — Den svenska modellen av Kadir Kasirga m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:2664 — Jämställdhetspolitisk motion av Janine Alm Ericson m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2023/24:2705 — Ett rikare liv för äldre av Ulrika Westerlund m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2023/24:395 — En trygg familjepolitik med barnets bästa i fokus av Daniel Persson m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:420 — Bättre villkor för småföretagare av Tobias Andersson m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2023/24:439 — Ordning och reda på arbetsmarknaden av Ciczie Weidby m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2023/24:461 — Cybersäkerhet av Hanna Gunnarsson m.fl. (V)
Source: The Swedish Parliament