Shortened working hours

The party programme states outright that the party wants to see a general reduction in working hours and the election manifesto that working hours shall be shortened with a view to a six-hour working day with maintained pay. The counter-proposal's requirement that a general reduction in working hours be investigated and given clearer legal support is a step in exactly that direction. The plan also justifies it with sustainable work life and equality, the same reasons the counter-proposal cites.

• general reduction in working hoursdecisive»Vi vill se en generell arbetstidsförkortning.« (party programme ↗)“We want to see a general reduction in working hours.”
• six-hour working day»Med dagens tekniska utveckling finns förutsättningar att inleda en arbetstidsförkortning, med sikte på sex timmars arbetsdag, med bibehållen lön.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“With today's technical development there are conditions to begin a reduction in working hours, with a view to a six-hour working day, with maintained pay.”
• gradual reduction with maintained pay»Vi vill påbörja en stegvis arbetstidsförkortning med bibehållen lön,« (party programme ↗)“We want to begin a gradual reduction in working hours with maintained pay,”
• sustainable work life until retirement»Arbetslivet måste utvecklas och arbetstiden förkortas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work life must develop and working hours be reduced.”

The party programme explicitly states that society's productivity increases shall be converted into both increased living standards and shorter working time, which is the ambition the counter-proposal wants to allow to be investigated. The plan motivates it with a sustainable working life where everyone shall be able to work a full career and with equal conditions in family and professional life. To investigate a general reduction in working hours thereby lies in the plan's direction, although the plan simultaneously values the parties' role.

• shorter working time from productivitydecisive»Samhällets produktivitetsökningar omsätts i både ökad levnadsstandard och kortare arbetstid.« (party programme ↗)“Society's productivity increases are converted into both increased living standards and shorter working time.”
• sustainable working life»Alla ska kunna orka ett helt arbetsliv.« (party programme ↗)“Everyone shall be able to work a full career.”
• balance between work and leisure»God balans ska råda mellan arbete och ledighet, mellan yrkesliv och privatliv.« (party programme ↗)“Good balance shall prevail between work and leisure, between professional and private life.”
• equal family and professional life»lika rätt och lika ansvar för kvinnor och män i familjeliv, yrkesliv och samhällsliv« (party programme ↗)“equal right and equal responsibility for women and men in family, professional and social life”

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 election manifesto promises to shorten working time so that more people can work a full working life, and the party programme sets the goal of a 35-hour normal working week in a first step. The counter-proposal's demand for investigation of general working time reduction therefore falls within the plan's explicit commitment, with the same motive about a sustainable working life.

• 35-hour working weekdecisive»En viktig reform är att sänka arbetstiden. I ett första steg har vi som målsättning att sänka normalarbetstiden till 35 timmar per vecka.« (party programme ↗)“An important reform is to reduce working hours. As a first step we have the goal of reducing normal working hours to 35 hours per week.”
• shortened working hours for sustainable working life»korta arbetstiden så att fler människor orkar jobba ett helt arbetsliv.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“shorten working hours so that more people can work a full working life.”
• working time reduction as quality of life»Därför vill Miljöpartiet sänka arbetstiden till 35 timmar per vecka i ett första steg.« (party programme ↗)“Therefore the Greens want to reduce working hours to 35 hours per week as a first step.”
• prosperity as free time»Att kunna ta ut en större del av välstånd, till exempel löneökningar, som kortare arbetstid ska därför underlättas.« (party programme ↗)“That it should be possible to take a larger part of prosperity, for example salary increases, as shorter working hours should therefore be facilitated.”

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 party programme establishes that the rules of the labour market should as far as possible be determined by the parties and that laws and regulations should not override free contract rights. The counter-proposal's requirement for clearer legal basis for a general reduction in working hours runs counter to that arrangement. The election manifesto's employment line and description of the skills shortage moreover point toward more hours worked, not fewer.

• free contract rights before legislationdecisive»bör lagar och regler inte köra över den fria avtalsrätten« (party programme ↗)“laws and regulations should not override free contract rights”
• the partnership model moves power»Det skapar en flexibel och långsiktigt hållbar arbetsmarknad och flyttar makten närmare dem som berörs.« (party programme ↗)“This creates a flexible and long-term sustainable labour market and moves power closer to those affected.”
• protected employment line»Arbetslinjen måste värnas, och den som kan jobba ska inte leva på skattebetalarnas pengar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The employment line must be protected, and the person who can work should not live on taxpayers' money.”
• skills shortage requires more hours»Både företag och offentlig sektor skriker efter medarbetare.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Both business and the public sector are crying out for employees.”

The plan's key commitment on the labour market is to restore the work line and strive for full employment – more should work, not fewer hours. It also establishes that conditions shall be determined primarily through agreements and not through law, which speaks against statutory support for general working-time reduction. The plan's opening applies to flexibility over one's own working time, not reduced working time, and the counter-proposal's demands are therefore rejected.

• the work line firstdecisive»Återupprätta arbetslinjen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Restore the work line.”
• agreements before legislation»avtal och inte i lag, bidrar till ansvarstagande på arbetsmarknaden« (party programme ↗)“agreements and not through law, contributes to responsibility-taking on the labour market”
• more working hours»Att äldre ges större möjlighet att fortsätta arbeta ökar den enskildes valfrihet och förbättrar« (party programme ↗)“That older people are given greater opportunity to continue working increases the individual's freedom of choice and improves”
• flexible but not shorter working time»Fler anställda bör ha inflytande över sin egen arbetstid« (party programme ↗)“More employees should have influence over their own working time”

The plan's line is that more people should work more and longer: the election manifesto wants to extend the right to work to 75 years and give tax relief to older people who continue to work, and the party programme makes full employment and new jobs the most important goal. The length of working time is also a matter for the labour market parties, not for state regulation. A state investigation into general working time reduction therefore goes against the plan, although the plan wants to provide room to work a little less during certain stages of life.

• work longer, not shorterdecisive»Gör det möjligt att arbeta längre och mer flexibelt för den som kan genom att förlänga rätten att arbeta (LAS-åldern) i två steg till 75 års ålder, med ömsesidig rätt att minska arbetstiden till 50%.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Make it possible to work longer and more flexibly for those who can by extending the right to work (LAS age) in two steps to 75 years of age, with mutual right to reduce working time to 50%.”
• more working hours prioritized»Därför är tillkomsten av nya jobb den i särklass viktigaste fördelningspolitiska frågan.« (party programme ↗)“Therefore, the creation of new jobs is the most important distribution policy issue by far.”
• the parties, not the state, decide»Utformningen ska göras av arbetsmarknadens parter.« (party programme ↗)“The design should be made by the labour market parties.”
• individual working time flexibility»ska det finnas goda möjligheter att arbeta lite mindre« (party programme ↗)“there should be good opportunities to work a little less”

The counter-proposal wants to investigate a general reduction in working hours. The plan's core commitment is that the work ethic shall be restored and that reforms shall lead to more people in work, since that is how households and public finances will weather a tough time. The plan also emphasises great needs within the justice system, defence and welfare that require hard prioritisation, which argues against reducing working hours.

• restored work ethicdecisive»Att återupprätta arbetslinjen är det bästa sättet att se till att Sveriges hushåll har styrka nog att komma igenom den tuffa tid som ligger framför oss.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Restoring the work ethic is the best way to ensure that Sweden's households have the strength to weather the tough time ahead of us.”
• work ethic as basic principle»Skatter och bidragssystem ska utgå från arbetslinjen.« (party programme ↗)“Taxes and benefit systems shall follow the work ethic.”
• reforms for more in work»Sverige behöver hitta tillbaka till en ansvarsfull ekonomisk politik som bygger upp motståndskraft mot kriser och genomföra reformer för fler i arbete.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden needs to find its way back to responsible economic policy that builds resilience against crises and implement reforms for more in work.”
• prioritisation requires resources»De stora behoven inom rättsväsendet, försvaret och välfärden ställer stora krav på prioriteringar under åren som kommer.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The great needs within the justice system, defence and welfare impose great demands for prioritisation in the years ahead.”

The plan's central commitment in the labor market area is that all who can shall work in real jobs and that it should pay better to work, since work is the only sure means to prosperity. A statutory general reduction in working hours pulls in the opposite direction and would reduce the number of working hours. The plan also establishes that the parties to the labor market, not the legislature, should agree on central conditions.

• more in real jobsdecisive»Alla som har förmågan ska arbeta i riktiga jobb, försörja sig och bidra till att bygga Sverige bättre.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“All who have the ability shall work in real jobs, support themselves, and contribute to building Sweden better.”
• work as the foundation for prosperity»Vi ser arbete som det enda säkra medlet att åstadkomma ett varaktigt, enskilt och allmänt, välstånd.« (party programme ↗)“We see work as the only sure means of achieving lasting, individual and general, prosperity.”
• the parties regulate conditions»Sverigedemokraterna försvarar grunderna i den svenska modellen, där arbetsmarknadens parter genom förhandlingar gör upp om lönenivåer och andra centrala villkor.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden Democrats defend the foundations of the Swedish model, where the parties to the labor market through negotiations agree on wage levels and other central conditions.”
• more profitable to work»Göra det mer lönsamt att arbeta« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Make it more profitable to work”