Penalty fees

The plan explicitly wants to strengthen safety representatives in law and address unscrupulous companies, and demands regulations ensuring serious occupational health and safety work even where short-term profit is prioritized. Increased and turnover-linked penalty fees, sanctions linked to the organizational and social work environment, and the ability to sanction those who exclude safety representatives are just such tools. The plan also sees the risk of detection as central to combating business fraud.

• strengthened safety representativesdecisive»lagar som försvarar människors arbetsvillkor genom att stärka skyddsombuden« (party programme ↗)“laws that defend people's working conditions by strengthening safety representatives”
• sharp occupational health rules»Det behövs regelverk och strukturer som säkrar ett seriöst arbetsmiljöarbete på alla arbetsplatser, också de som idag prioriterar kortsiktig vinst.« (party programme ↗)“There is a need for regulations and structures that ensure serious occupational health and safety work in all workplaces, even those that today prioritize short-term profit.”
• measures against unscrupulous companies»Vi vill också stärka arbetsrätten och ta itu med oseriösa företag« (party programme ↗)“We also want to strengthen labour law and tackle unscrupulous companies”
• detection risk controls companies»Det handlar i hög utsträckning om överlagda beslut, där risken för upptäckt kan spela stor roll.« (party programme ↗)“It is to a large extent deliberate decisions, where the risk of detection can play an important role.”

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 establishes that it shall never be profitable to secure competitive advantages by neglecting employees' right to a safe working environment, and it wants to strengthen safety representatives. Raised and turnover-related penalties, more sanctioned regulations and sanctions against employers who exclude safety representatives is exactly that commitment implemented in regulations. The plan furthermore requires a stop to fatal workplace accidents.

• cheating on working environment shall not paydecisive»Det ska aldrig löna sig att begå brott eller skaffa sig konkurrensfördelar genom att försumma de anställdas rätt till en trygg arbetsmiljö.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It shall never be profitable to commit crimes or secure competitive advantages by neglecting employees' right to a safe working environment.”
• strengthened safety representatives»Stärka skyddsombuden.« (party programme ↗)“Strengthen safety representatives.”
• zero vision for fatal accidents»Säker och hållbar arbetsmiljö med stopp för dödsolyckor på eller till följd av jobbet.« (party programme ↗)“Safe and sustainable working environment with a stop to fatal workplace accidents.”
• against labour market crime»Bekämpande av kriminalitet på arbetsmarknaden.« (party programme ↗)“Combat of crime in the labour market.”

The plan requires that workers' rights be strengthened and that clearer requirements be placed on employers to prevent stress and unhealthy working conditions, that is, precisely the organizational and social working environment that the counter-proposal wants to be able to sanction. The plan also establishes that no one should have to become ill or risk their life at work and that employees should have influence at the workplace, which speaks in favor of sanctions against employers who exclude safety representatives. Stricter and revenue-related sanctions are a means for these commitments.

• clearer requirements on employersdecisive»Miljöpartiet vill stärka arbetstagarnas rättigheter och ställa tydligare krav på arbetsgivare« (party programme ↗)“The Green Party wants to strengthen workers' rights and place clearer requirements on employers”
• psychosocial working environment is regulated»förebygga stress, motverka ohälsosamma arbetsvillkor« (party programme ↗)“prevent stress, counteract unhealthy working conditions”
• safe working environment»Ingen ska behöva bli sjuk, än mindre riskera sitt liv« (party programme ↗)“No one should have to become ill, let alone risk their life”
• employee influence»En hållbar arbetsmiljö förutsätter även att de anställda får inflytande över sin arbetsplats.« (party programme ↗)“A sustainable working environment also requires that employees have influence over their workplace.”

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 demands clear and predictable rules for the economy, and the election manifesto promises less red tape for small businesses that find bureaucracy hardest to bear. Significantly raised, turnover-based and expanded sanction fees move in the opposite direction and hit precisely the smaller businesses hardest. The plan does not however specifically address workplace safety sanctions.

• predictable rulesdecisive»Ekonomin ska ha givna och förutsägbara spelregler« (party programme ↗)“The economy shall have clear and predictable rules”
• less red tape for small business»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.”
• small businesses bear bureaucracy worse»Små och nystartade företag har svårare att få tillgång till kapital och att bära omfattande byråkrati« (party programme ↗)“Small and newly founded companies find it harder to access capital and bear extensive bureaucracy”
• parties before legislation»arbetsmarknadens parter i stället för genom lagstiftning. Det skapar en flexibel och långsiktigt hållbar arbetsmarknad och flyttar makten närmare dem som berörs.« (party programme ↗)“labour market parties instead of through legislation. It creates a flexible and long-term sustainable labour market and moves power closer to those affected.”

The plan wants to reduce regulatory burdens on businesses and have rules that make it easy to do the right thing, with legal certainty and equal treatment as guiding stars. Raised and turnover-based sanction fees linked to more regulations pull in the opposite direction and make the system less predictable for smaller employers. The plan does not address employment safety sanctions directly, so the position is derived.

• reduced regulatory burdendecisive»Regelbördan för små företag ska minska, genom ansträngningar på både kommunal, statlig och europeisk nivå, och offentliga beslut analyseras ur småföretagarperspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Regulatory burdens on small businesses shall be reduced, through efforts at both municipal, state and European level, and public decisions are analysed from a small business perspective.”
• predictable rules of the game»Vi vill ha spelregler som gör det lätt att göra rätt och säkerställer konkurrens på rättvisa villkor även i digitaliseringens och delningsekonomins tid.« (party programme ↗)“We want rules that make it easy to do the right thing and ensure competition on equal terms even in the age of digitalisation and the sharing economy.”
• legal certainty and equal treatment»Lagar och regler ska slå vakt om äganderätt, konkurrens på lika villkor, rättssäkerhet och att enskilda människor har likvärdiga och goda möjligheter att nå sina livsmål.« (party programme ↗)“Laws and regulations shall safeguard property rights, competition on equal terms, legal certainty and the fact that individuals have equivalent and good opportunities to reach their life goals.”

The plan demands that rules the state sets for companies be long-term, that new laws be tested from a small business perspective and that society's responses to violations be swift and predictable. Sharply increased, escalating and turnover-based sanction fees linked to more regulations pull in the opposite direction. The plan's high ambition for occupational health and safety legislation at the same time speaks for tightening, making certainty low.

• long-term and predictable rulesdecisive»Det är viktigt att de regler staten ställer upp för företagen är långsiktiga.« (party programme ↗)“It is important that rules the state sets for companies are long-term.”
• predictable sanctions»snabba och förutsägbara reaktioner som är förankrade i en human och tydlig« (party programme ↗)“swift and predictable reactions that are grounded in a human and clear”
• small business perspective on regulations»Tillkommande lagar bör prövas ur ett« (party programme ↗)“New laws should be tested from a”
• high occupational health and safety ambition»En hög ambitionsnivå ska prägla lagar och« (party programme ↗)“A high level of ambition shall characterize laws and”

The plan wishes to ease the burden on businesses — one-third of administrative costs and regulatory red tape should be removed — and establishes that business freedom should have strong protection. Substantially increased, revenue-based and escalating penalty fees linked to more regulations go in the opposite direction. The plan also requires that exercise of public power be guided by equal treatment and predictability, which speaks for fixed fees.

• equal treatment and predictabilitydecisive»All offentlig maktutövning ska vara lagstyrd och vägledas av« (party programme ↗)“All exercise of public power shall be rule-governed and guided by”
• reduced regulatory burden»Ta bort en tredjedel av företagens administrationskostnader och en tredjedel av regelkrånglet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Remove one-third of companies' administrative costs and one-third of regulatory red tape”
• protection of business freedom»Äganderätten och näringsfriheten ska ha ett starkt skydd i« (party programme ↗)“Property rights and business freedom shall have strong protection in”
• bureaucracy hampers growth»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 put spokes in the wheel of innovation and growth.”

The plan's core commitment in the business area is regulatory simplification and reduced administrative and cost burden, and new regulations shall be cost-effective. Substantially increased, tiered and revenue-based sanctions fees plus sanctions linked to more regulations go in the opposite direction. Moreover, the plan wants to depoliticise occupational health and safety work and abolish the unions' privileged right to appoint safety representatives, which speaks against sanctioning employers precisely for the handling of safety representatives.

• regulatory simplification for small businessesdecisive»Verka för regelförenkling och avlasta småföretagens administrativa börda« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Promote regulatory simplification and reduce the administrative burden on small businesses”
• depoliticised occupational health and safety work»Sverigedemokraterna vill avpolitisera arbetsmiljöarbetet genom att avveckla politiskt styrda fackförbunds företrädesrätt att utse skyddsombud.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats want to depoliticise occupational health and safety work by abolishing the politically controlled unions' privileged right to appoint safety representatives.”
• cost-effective regulations»Nya regler ska vara kostnadseffektiva och befintliga regler behöver ses över.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“New regulations shall be cost-effective and existing regulations need to be reviewed.”
• occupational health before profit interests»anställdas välmående får inte äventyras av kortsiktiga vinstintressen« (party programme ↗)“employee wellbeing must not be jeopardised by short-term profit interests”