The Swedish labor market model and the EU

The plan wants Sweden to challenge the EU's supranational treaties and laws and sees necessary self-defence against EU attacks on precisely welfare, labour rights or democracy. The counter-proposal's demands for a permanent exception from the working time directive and for the minimum wage directive's implementation to be scrapped is such a defence of the Swedish model. The plan also demands that politics respects that the parties themselves agree on the terms.

• challenge EU supranationalitydecisive»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”
• self-defence for labour rights»i frågor om välfärd, arbetsrätt eller demokrati.« (party programme ↗)“in matters of welfare, labour rights or democracy.”
• EU limits democratic decisions»EU-rätten innehåller orimliga begränsningar av medlemsländernas« (party programme ↗)“EU law contains unreasonable limitations of member states'”
• respect for the Swedish model»Men för att förhandlingarna ska vara rättvisa behöver politiken respektera den svenska modellen, där politiker inte hotar den ena parten med försämringar om den inte ger med sig.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“But for the negotiations to be fair, politics needs to respect the Swedish model, where politicians do not threaten one party with worsening conditions if they do not give in.”

flags: ett undantag från arbetstidsdirektivet kan samtidigt försvaga arbetstidsskyddet

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 does value the Swedish model and requires respect in the EU for collective bargaining solutions, but at the same time sees the EU as a necessary platform to sharpen protection of wage earners and wants to strengthen Sweden's position as a leading actor in the union. A permanent exemption from the working time directive and immediate repeal of the implementation of the minimum wage directive is a different path than the plan's. The plan's response to the threat to the model is respect for collective agreements, not opt-outs.

• the EU strengthens wage earner protectiondecisive»Socialdemokratin ser EU som en nödvändig plattform för att på europeisk nivå skärpa skyddet av miljö, konsumenter och löntagare.« (party programme ↗)“Social Democracy sees the EU as a necessary platform to sharpen protection of the environment, consumers and wage earners at the European level.”
• respect for the Swedish model»Respekt i EU för svenska modellen med kollektivavtalslösningar.« (party programme ↗)“Respect in the EU for the Swedish model with collective bargaining solutions.”
• leading actor in the EU»Sveriges ställning som en ledande aktör i EU stärks.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden's position as a leading actor in the EU is strengthened.”
• safe working environment»Säker och hållbar arbetsmiljö med stopp för dödsolyckor på eller till följd av jobbet.« (party programme ↗)“Safe and sustainable working environment with an end to deaths in or as a result of work.”

The plan wants to shorten normal working hours to 35 hours and establishes that everyone has the right to good physical and psychosocial working conditions; a permanent exemption from the working time directive would weaken precisely that protection. The plan also sees strong reasons for transnational decisions when fundamental rights should be protected. That the Swedish labor model should be valued argues the other way, which makes the conclusion uncertain.

• shorter, not longer working hoursdecisive»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 aim to reduce normal working hours to 35 hours per week.”
• right to good working conditions»Alla har rätt till friskvård och en god fysisk och psykosocial arbetsmiljö.« (party programme ↗)“Everyone has the right to health promotion and good physical and psychosocial working conditions.”
• transnational decisions may be needed»I frågor av global karaktär finns starka skäl som talar för också överstatliga beslut.« (party programme ↗)“In matters of global character there are strong reasons that also speak for transnational decisions.”
• valued labor model»Vi värnar den svenska modellen där arbetsmarknadens parter gemensamt förhandlar fram vad som ska gälla på arbetsmarknaden genom kollektivavtal.« (party programme ↗)“We value the Swedish model where labor market parties jointly negotiate what shall apply in the labor market through collective agreements.”

The party programme establishes that central power in Brussels shall not be expanded at the expense of citizens' self-determination and that only what must be decided jointly shall be decided at EU level. According to the plan, the rules of the labor market shall to the greatest extent possible be determined by the parties, which makes EU regulation of working time and minimum wages precisely such a question that should be kept national. The counter-proposal's requirement for exemptions and national scope of action therefore follows from the plan.

• no increased EU central powerdecisive»Centralmakten i Bryssel får inte utökas på bekostnad av EU-medborgarnas självbestämmande.« (party programme ↗)“Central power in Brussels shall not be expanded at the expense of EU citizens' self-determination.”
• subsidiarity»Principen måste vara att beslut fattas så nära medborgaren som möjligt och att endast de beslut som måste fattas gemensamt beslutas på EU-nivå.« (party programme ↗)“The principle must be that decisions are made as close to the citizen as possible and that only decisions that must be made jointly are decided at EU level.”
• the party model»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 labor market and moves power closer to those affected.”
• narrower EU»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.”

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 wants to deepen EU cooperation, not limit it, and states that cooperation as far as possible shall occur with participation from all countries – which speaks against permanent Swedish exceptions. Tearing up implemented EU legislation lies in the same way outside the plan's line. The plan however shares the view that the basic social security in the main shall be designed by the member states, but that is not enough to support the counter-proposal's demand.

• no Swedish exceptionsdecisive»EU-samarbetet ska på alla områden så långt som möjligt ske med deltagande från samtliga länder.« (party programme ↗)“EU cooperation shall in all areas as far as possible occur with participation from all countries.”
• deepened EU cooperation»Europa behöver mer – inte mindre – samarbete.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Europe needs more – not less – cooperation.”
• rejected EU skepticism»När rödgröna partier drömmer om att försvaga eller upplösa EU vill vi fördjupa samarbetet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“When red-green parties dream of weakening or dissolving the EU we want to deepen cooperation.”
• nationally designed social security»Hur det grundläggande skyddet ska utformas ska i huvudsak avgöras av« (party programme ↗)“How the basic protection shall be designed shall mainly be decided by”

The plan demands a delimitation of EU tasks to prevent unwelcome centralization and a mechanism for the subsidiarity principle in the decision process. According to the plan, labour law and wage formation belong to the parties and the national level: design shall be done by the labour market parties and state income policy is rejected. A permanent exception from the working time directive and a scrapping of the minimum wage directive's implementation thus aligns with the plan.

• delimited EU powersdecisive»En avgränsning av EU:s uppgifter är nödvändig för att« (party programme ↗)“A delimitation of EU tasks is necessary to”
• the parties regulate conditions»Utformningen ska göras av arbetsmarknadens parter.« (party programme ↗)“Design shall be done by the labour market parties.”
• no political wage formation»Statlig styrning av lönebildningen i form av inkomstpolitik avvisas.« (party programme ↗)“State control of wage formation in the form of income policy is rejected.”
• subsidiarity in EU decision»för tillämpning av subsidiaritetsprincipen i beslutsprocessen måste finnas.« (party programme ↗)“for application of the subsidiarity principle in the decision process must exist.”

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 counter-proposal wants a permanent exemption from the Working Time Directive and wants to tear up the implementation of the Minimum Wage Directive. The plan commits to countering over-implementation of EU decisions and that directives are implemented at minimum level as a main rule, and establishes that decisions must be made at the lowest possible level. According to the plan, the EU should focus on cross-border issues, not on areas that member states can handle themselves.

• minimum level in implementationdecisive»Minska regelkrånglet och onödig byråkrati, bland annat genom att motverka överimplementering i Sverige av EU-beslut« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy, among other things by countering over-implementation in Sweden of EU decisions”
• subsidiarity»Beslut ska fattas på lägsta möjliga nivå, så nära medborgarna som möjligt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Decisions must be made at the lowest possible level, as close to citizens as possible.”
• limited EU competence»EU ska varken göra eller fatta beslut om allt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The EU must neither do nor make decisions about everything.”
• member states' own responsibility»Det som varje enskild medlemsstat kan ansvara för ska även« (party programme ↗)“What each individual member state can be responsible for should also”

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 Swedish control over the labour market model and welfare policy must be secured and that Swedish workers' position should never be sacrificed as a concession to the EU. It explicitly points to EU proposals for common rules on wage-setting as a threat to the model. A permanent exception from the working time directive and a repealed minimum wage implementation is precisely the tightened line the plan requires.

• the model before EU considerationsdecisive»Sverigedemokraterna anser att garantier för den svenska modellens fortlevnad är en förutsättning för att inte det svenska förhållandet till EU ska behöva omprövas. Svenska löntagares ställning ska aldrig offras som eftergift till EU.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats believe that guarantees for the survival of the Swedish model are a condition for the Swedish relationship to the EU not needing to be reconsidered. Swedish workers' position should never be sacrificed as a concession to the EU.”
• EU threatens wage-setting»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 EU proposals for common rules on wage-setting, unemployment benefits and the social safety net.”
• 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 transfers of power»Stoppa maktöverföringar och EU-skatter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop transfers of power and EU taxes”