ST News at GU August 2026
Publicerad: 2026-09-02
Nyhet The semester is about to begin, and we hope you have had the opportunity to fully enjoy the summer and your holiday. In this edition of the newsletter, we report, among other things, on the new local work environment agreement and what it means for work environment activities at the University of Gothenburg (GU). We also invite you to this autumn’s Coffee with the Union sessions, where upcoming organizational changes will be a major topic, and highlight the national ST report How Are Doctoral Students Doing?, which will be published in September.
Remember: If you have general questions regarding employment conditions or your ST membership, it’s easiest to contact ST Direkt at 0771–555 444 or stdirekt@st.org. For more local matters, please send us an email and we’ll respond as soon as possible: st@gu.se. You can also speak to our workplace representatives and faculty representatives.
New Work Environment Agreement at the University of Gothenburg
The unions and the employer at GU have negotiated a revised local work environment agreement regulating the forms of collaboration on work environment matters. Among other things, the agreement sets out how local work environment groups and committees are to operate, how work environment representatives are appointed, and how the University is divided into different work environment areas. We hope this will make work environment activities clearer and more consistent across the University. Now that the agreement is in place, the unions will continue to work with the Human Resources Unit to disseminate information and implement the provisions. Local work environment agreement (login at GU is required to get access to the agreement).
Further Organizational Changes at GU
The autumn semester will also be marked by extensive organizational changes, as several of GU’s faculties are facing cutbacks affecting both teaching and technical/administrative (TA) staff. The ST section’s elected union representatives are actively supporting members in a variety of contexts, both individually and through members’ meetings, staff meetings, and Coffee with the Union. ST’s faculty representatives are also monitoring the organizational changes through regularly recurring negotiations with the employer.
Our online Coffee with the Union session on 9 September will focus on organizational changes (see “Coffee with your union representatives” below for more information). We expect questions relating to this topic to be discussed at our other coffee sessions during the autumn as well.
Salary Negotiations
Planning for the autumn salary negotiations is under way, but GU and OFR/S (the bargaining organisation of which ST is a member) have not yet agreed on a timetable. Work on the annual pay survey and discussions between the unions and the employer on key principles for salary-setting at GU began shortly before the summer, and a review of the BESTA classification codes will also begin shortly. As usual, the section board will collect information from all members as a basis for the negotiations. Further information about this and the negotiations themselves will be provided on an ongoing basis by email, via the sections website, and at various members’ meetings.
Coffee with Your Union Representatives (“Fika med facket”)
Our coffee sessions at GU workplaces will continue during the autumn. As usual, we will also hold online coffee sessions a couple of times during the semester. Both ST members and other GU employees are welcome, so please feel free to invite one or more colleagues. The upcoming scheduled Coffee with the Union sessions are:
- Wednesday 9 September, 4.00-5.00 pm, online via Zoom. The theme for this session is organizational changes: what happens when such changes take place, which opportunities do the unions have to influence the process, and what support is available to employees who are affected.
- Wednesday 14 October, 4.00-5.30 pm, Natrium. Room and possible theme to be announced.
- Wednesday 18 November, 4.00-5.30 pm, School of Business, Economics and Law. Room and possible theme to be announced.
- Wednesday 9 December, 4.00-5.30 pm, location and possible theme to be announced later.
ST’s Survey of Doctoral Students’ Work Environment to be Presented in September
On 21 September, the report How Are Doctoral Students Doing? (“Hur mår doktoranden?”) will be released in conjunction with a seminar in Stockholm. The report presents the key findings from the survey How Are Doctoral Students Doing? 2026, conducted by the Union of Civil Servants (Fackförbundet ST) together with the doctoral committee of the Swedish National Union of Students (SFS). The report highlights a number of notable and, in some cases, very serious problems concerning the work environment of doctoral students, including stress, overtime, discrimination, working while ill, taking annual leave, supervision, and the introduction to the PhD programme. Background factors considered in the report include gender, parenthood, age, stage of the PhD programme, type of funding, and field of research. Once the report has been published, it will be available via the GU section’s website.
In June, the interim report How are international doctoral students doing? Migration policy, language, discrimination, and the work environment was published. Among other things, its findings show that international doctoral students experience higher levels of stress and are more frequently subjected to discrimination than other doctoral students. The study also shows that language barriers create additional difficulties for international doctoral students. Read the report and watch the recording of the webinar at which it was presented.
Don’t Forget Your Membership Benefits!
As a member of ST, you have access to a range of offers, in addition to union support. For example, you can get discounts on hotels, books, meal-kit deliveries, and flowers. Or why not try a meditation app? There are also several services that can help you write strong CVs and cover letters when applying for jobs. You can also practice the types of aptitude tests that have become increasingly common in recruitment processes. Read more on ST’s website (Swedish): Fackförbundet ST’s membership benefits.
ST’s Work for Climate Transition
Like several other unions, ST has decided to work actively on climate transition issues in the workplace. The ST section at GU has a climate group that works to share good practices and monitor climate-related issues within the University. If you would like to learn more or get involved in the union’s climate work, please contact us at st@gu.se! Read more: The climate transition | Fackförbundet ST.