“We need to focus on other major social problems,” says the Social Democrats’ party secretary Tobias Baudin, who has been one of the strong proponents of a family week.
The election promise from 2018 would give parents the right to time off from work with compensation equivalent to temporary parental allowance, to take care of their child for a day when there is, for example, a holiday, term break, study day or development review.
It was included as a point in the January agreement between the Social Democrats, the Green Party, the Center Party and the Liberals.
The government also budgeted for the introduction of family week in 2022. In total, it was estimated to cost SEK 10.8 billion over three years.
— The family week is not now included in the priorities that Finance Minister Mikael Damberg presented yesterday out in Harpsund. It is of course about prioritizing, we know that the economic situation in our country is uncertain, we have rising inflation, we have increased interest rates and everything must be financed, says Tobias Baudin.
— It is clear that we have a focus on families with children who we know have a tough time when inflation rises, we follow that closely. But you also have to prioritize in politics and family week is a good thing, but it doesn’t get a place.
TT: If the economy grows, can it come back?
— Nothing should be left unsaid, but there are no plans for that now. It is not something that we have now included in our election promises.
According to Baudin, it is not primarily a matter of the reform being so criticized by the opposition, but of the fact that a responsible economic policy must be pursued.