Design of the public procurement framework - simplifications and labour law

The election manifesto explicitly states that the party demands collective agreements in public procurement, and the party programme that all employees in Sweden should be protected by strong collective agreements. Working for a change to the procurement directive so that collective agreements can be required, and sharpening requirements against forced labour, is exactly that. For the party, EU law standing in the way is a reason to challenge it, not to abstain.

• collective agreements in procurementdecisive»Vänsterpartiet ställer krav på kollektivavtal vid offentliga upphandlingar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party demands collective agreements in public procurement.”
• strong collective agreements»anställda i Sverige ska skyddas av starka kollektivavtal.« (party programme ↗)“employees in Sweden should be protected by strong collective agreements.”
• challenge EU law»Vi vill att Sverige utmanar EU:s överstatliga fördrag och lagar« (party programme ↗)“We want Sweden to challenge the EU's supranational treaties and laws”
• stop wage dumping»Lönedumpning, ekonomisk brottslighet och utnyttjande är centrala hot idag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Wage dumping, economic crime and exploitation are central threats today.”

The plan explicitly requires respect in the EU for the Swedish model with collective agreement solutions and states that Swedish collective agreements shall apply in Sweden, with collective agreements as the norm. Working for a changed procurement directive that allows requirements for collective agreements is precisely that commitment implemented in procurement. The plan also wants human rights to be guiding in trade, which supports tightened requirements against forced labour.

• the Swedish model in the EUdecisive»Respekt i EU för svenska modellen med kollektivavtalslösningar.« (party programme ↗)“Respect in the EU for the Swedish model with collective agreement solutions.”
• Swedish collective agreements apply here»kollektivavtal ska gälla i Sverige.« (party programme ↗)“collective agreements shall apply in Sweden.”
• collective agreements as the norm»Kollektivavtal som norm, försvar av den svenska modellen.« (party programme ↗)“Collective agreements as the norm, defence of the Swedish model.”
• human rights in trade»EU behöver sluta fler handelsavtal där också våra värderingar om social dialog, mänskliga rättigheter och miljö är vägledande.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The EU needs to conclude more trade agreements where also our values on social dialogue, human rights and the environment are guiding.”

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 protects the Swedish model with collective agreements and requires strong action against employers who do not respect labour law or existing collective agreements. That procurers shall be able to require suppliers to be bound by collective agreements, and that the rules be tightened so that human rights and fundamental labour law principles are guaranteed, follows directly from these commitments. The plan also states that trade rules must not prevent stricter protection for people and the environment.

• stop labour exploitationdecisive»Det krävs krafttag mot arbetsgivare som exploaterar utländsk arbetskraft och inte respekterar svensk arbetsrätt eller gällande kollektivavtal.« (party programme ↗)“Strong action is required against employers who exploit foreign workers and do not respect Swedish labour law or existing collective agreements.”
• collective agreement model»Miljöpartiet värnar den svenska modellen, där fackföreningar och arbetsgivare tillsammans tar stort ansvar för reglerna på arbetsmarknaden.« (party programme ↗)“The Greens protect the Swedish model, where trade unions and employers together take major responsibility for the rules on the labour market.”
• trade must not lower protection levels»Handelsavtal ska inte förhindra länder att skärpa skyddet för människor, miljö och djur.« (party programme ↗)“Trade agreements shall not prevent countries from strengthening protection for people, the environment and animals.”
• strengthened procurement requirements»Vid offentlig upphandling ska det ställas tydligare hållbarhetskrav.« (party programme ↗)“In public procurement, clearer sustainability requirements shall be set.”

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 laws and rules shall not override the freedom of contract and that good conditions for small businesses are decisive for new jobs. A requirement that suppliers shall be bound by collective agreements, instead of meeting equivalent conditions, excludes businesses without an agreement and increases the regulatory burden. The plan instead wants to impose stricter requirements on working conditions and human rights in trade agreements.

• freedom of contractdecisive»bör lagar och regler inte köra över den fria avtalsrätten« (party programme ↗)“should laws and rules not override the freedom of contract”
• good conditions for small businesses»Goda villkor för entreprenörer, egenföretagare och små företag är därför avgörande för att skapa nya jobb.« (party programme ↗)“Good conditions for entrepreneurs, the self-employed and small businesses are therefore decisive for creating new jobs.”
• regulatory simplification for business»Rensa upp i regelträsket för entreprenörer, stora som små.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Clear out the regulatory undergrowth for entrepreneurs, large and small.”
• HR requirements in trade agreements»Ställ hårdare krav på arbetsvillkor, miljö och klimat i handelsavtal.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Impose stricter requirements on working conditions, environment and climate in trade agreements.”

The plan establishes that public procurement shall ensure equal treatment and stimulate competition and that conditions on the labour market shall mainly be determined through agreements, not in law. A requirement that suppliers be bound by collective agreements excludes serious companies without agreements and increases regulatory burden, and therefore goes against the plan. The plan's aversion to naivity towards Chinese power politics, however, supports the counter-proposal's human rights part.

• equal treatment and competitiondecisive»Offentlig upphandling ska ske på sätt som ger skattebetalarna låga kostnader, hög kvalitet, säkrar likabehandling och stimulerar konkurrens.« (party programme ↗)“Public procurement shall take place in a way that provides taxpayers with low costs, high quality, ensures equal treatment and stimulates competition.”
• agreements, not legislation»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 mainly determined through agreements and not in law, contributes to responsibility in the labour market.”
• reduced regulatory burden»Regelbördan för små företag ska minska« (party programme ↗)“The regulatory burden for small businesses shall decrease”
• no naivity toward China»Handels- och främjandepolitiken ska stärka Sverige som aktör för en friare värld och dra nytta av frihandelns fördelar utan den naivitet som alltför länge uppvisats för kinesisk och rysk maktpolitik.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Trade and export promotion policy shall strengthen Sweden as an actor for a freer world and take advantage of free trade's benefits without the naivity that has for too long been shown towards Chinese and Russian power politics.”

The plan places the design of working conditions with the labour market parties with a clear division of roles against the state and warns against rules that create unjustified barriers into the labour market. A requirement that suppliers be bound by collective agreements moves that power to the legislator and excludes smaller businesses. The requirement to respect human rights in the supplier chain, by contrast, has support in the plan's view of business responsibility.

• the parties model and the state's roledecisive»Utformningen ska göras av arbetsmarknadens parter.« (party programme ↗)“Design shall be done by the labour market parties.”
• avoid barriers in the labour market»ska skapa rimlig trygghet för de anställda utan att leda till omotiverade« (party programme ↗)“shall create reasonable security for the employed without leading to unjustified”
• business responsibility for human rights»har ett ansvar för sina medmänniskors situation« (party programme ↗)“has a responsibility for their fellow humans' situation”

The plan's line in EU issues is to reduce red tape, counter over-implementation and implement directives at minimum level, and to deepen the internal market especially for services. Pushing for an amended procurement directive that allows requirements for collective agreement obligations and tightened contract terms goes in the opposite direction and increases firms' administrative burden. The plan therefore does not support the counter-proposal's requirement.

• EU rules at minimum leveldecisive»Minska regelkrånglet och onödig byråkrati, bland annat genom att motverka överimplementering i Sverige av EU-beslut« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, including by countering over-implementation in Sweden of EU decisions”
• deepened internal market»Fördjupa den inre marknaden, inte minst för tjänster och digitala produkter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Deepen the internal market, especially for services and digital products”
• reduced administrative burden»Ta bort en tredjedel av företagens administrationskostnader och en tredjedel av regelkrånglet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Remove a third of firms' administrative costs and a third of red tape”

The plan warns that unnecessarily strict conditions in procurement shut out smaller businesses and wants to simplify regulatory burden, while the counter-proposal sharpens requirements and makes collective agreements a procurement requirement. The plan also sees EU regulation of wage formation and working conditions as a threat to the Swedish model and wants to restore intergovernmentalism rather than change union directives. The conclusion is derived, as procurement's labor law conditions are not directly addressed.

• against strict procurement conditionsdecisive»Onödigt stränga villkor i branschstandarder och i upphandlingar gör det ofta svårt för mindre aktörer att slå sig in på marknaden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Unnecessarily strict conditions in industry standards and in procurements often make it difficult for smaller actors to enter the market.”
• no to EU-regulated labor market»Men den svenska modellen hotas för närvarande av förslag från EU om gemensamma regler för lönebildning, arbetslöshetsersättning och det sociala skyddsnätet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“But the Swedish model is currently threatened by proposals from the EU on common rules for wage formation, unemployment compensation and the social safety net.”
• regulatory simplification»Verka för regelförenkling och avlasta småföretagens administrativa börda« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work for regulatory simplification and relieve small businesses' administrative burden”
• intergovernmentalism»Återupprätta mellanstatligheten och stärka väljarnas påverkansmöjligheter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Restore intergovernmentalism and strengthen voters' influence possibilities”