“The government is now conducting a thorough review of the Emergency Preparedness Act in order to create an order that lasts over time. The new legislation will mean that labor law can be quickly adapted to special circumstances,” said Minister of Labor Eva Nordmark (S), in a press release.
The special circumstances referred to apply in the event of heightened preparedness or in the event of war, which the Government may decide on in the event of war in the immediate area or in Sweden. According to the government, it is crucial for the total defense that socially important activities and critical infrastructure function on such an occasion.
– What is the review is, for example, to be able to extend working hours for important societal functions to function, such as, trains, healthcare and other things. It is also possible to regulate holidays, for example that you should not be able to take holidays in the usual way if there is a war, says Mika Metso, political expert at the Minister of Labor Eva Nordmark.
Employees who fulfill their total military service, ie are called up, can also not be dismissed or dismissed in the meantime.
According to Metso, it is an update of the current legislation from the 1980s that already today makes it possible, for example, to extend working hours in the event of war.
– We already have laws like this in Sweden, but they are so old that they do not take into account EU directives. Therefore, you need to review this and adapt it based on the changes that have taken place in labor law in recent decades, says Mika Metso.
The assignment must be reported no later than 30 November 2023.