The central consultation initiated to move the salary negotiations forward has not yet been concluded. This consultation means that representatives from the Swedish Agency for Government Employers (Arbetsgivarverket) and OFR/S (the employee organisation, which includes for example Fackförbundet ST and the Swedish Teachers’ Union) are assisting the trade unions and the employer in the difficult situation. An initial meeting was held on 18 December, after which discussions took place between the central parties to find a path toward continued dialogue. The aspiration of the unions is still to conclude the negotiations locally together with the employer. A decision from the central parties regarding the next steps is expected in the middle of next week. 

For the unions and our members, fundamental principles are at stake if the employer’s way of implementing RALS 2025 becomes the guiding model for future salary setting at the University of Gothenburg. At the annual meeting, members of Fackförbundet ST chose to have their salaries negotiated between the union and the employer, which the employer is obliged to accept according to the central salary agreement. However, the University of Gothenburg has unilaterally decided to abandon the salary negotiations procedure which has been used for many years, in which each ST member’s salary is negotiated between the union and managers. Instead, the employer has introduced an own model, without the concurrence of the unions, that significantly reduces the unions’ ability to influence individual and group salary development. This is primarily done by the employer ignoring the unions’ demands and by substantially limiting the unions’ ability to formally declare disagreement. 

During the autumn, Fackförbundet ST’s union magazine Publikt highlighted the situation at the University of Gothenburg, and interviewed several representatives from the section’s negotiation delegation, including the chair and vice chair. The article (in Swedish) provides a good background to the current situation at GU and the main problems that have arisen. 

The central consultation initiated to move the salary negotiations forward has not yet been concluded. This consultation means that representatives from the Swedish Agency for Government Employers (Arbetsgivarverket) and OFR/S (the employee organisation, which includes for example Fackförbundet ST and the Swedish Teachers’ Union) are assisting the trade unions and the employer in the difficult situation. An initial meeting was held on 18 December, after which discussions took place between the central parties to find a path toward continued dialogue. The aspiration of the unions is still to conclude the negotiations locally together with the employer. A decision from the central parties regarding the next steps is expected in the middle of next week. 

For the unions and our members, fundamental principles are at stake if the employer’s way of implementing RALS 2025 becomes the guiding model for future salary setting at the University of Gothenburg. At the annual meeting, members of Fackförbundet ST chose to have their salaries negotiated between the union and the employer, which the employer is obliged to accept according to the central salary agreement. However, the University of Gothenburg has unilaterally decided to abandon the salary negotiations procedure which has been used for many years, in which each ST member’s salary is negotiated between the union and managers. Instead, the employer has introduced an own model, without the concurrence of the unions, that significantly reduces the unions’ ability to influence individual and group salary development. This is primarily done by the employer ignoring the unions’ demands and by substantially limiting the unions’ ability to formally declare disagreement. 

During the autumn, Fackförbundet ST’s union magazine Publikt highlighted the situation at the University of Gothenburg, and interviewed several representatives from the section’s negotiation delegation, including the chair and vice chair. The article (in Swedish) provides a good background to the current situation at GU and the main problems that have arisen.