Half of the country’s regions state in TV4’s survey that the new rules on 24-hour rest make scheduling more difficult.
At the same time, dissatisfaction boils over among employees who find it difficult to put together the puzzle of life.
– I think many will resign. I am one of them, says specialist nurse Oskar Wulf to TV4Nyheterna.
It all started after a private person reported to the European Commission that several Swedish collective agreements do not meet the rules in the EU’s working time directive.
On 1 October, the new rules will now be introduced in the Swedish labor market, where the basis is at least eleven hours of continuous rest per day.
More difficult to staff care in 11 out of 21 regions
From the union point of view, the rules are applauded. But many regions are finding it difficult to get the autumn schedules together.
In a survey carried out by TV4 Nyheterna, 11 out of 21 regions answer that the new rules will make it more difficult to staff care. Ten answer that they don’t know yet.
Oskar Wulf has worked in psychiatry for over ten years and is used to having influence over his schedule. But soon it will be over. In October, he and 1.2 million employees in the municipality and region will receive new schedules where 11 hours of daily rest must lie between work shifts. A deterioration, thinks Oskar Wulf.
– 11 hours of 24-hour rest is great, but for us it will not mean any advantages, says Oskar Wulf who is a specialist nurse at Ryhov County Hospital in Jönköping.
Will resign
Work is currently underway in the regions on how to resolve the autumn schedules. For certain professional groups, it will be possible to make exceptions, but the possibility to do so is restrictive. If the changes become too great, Oskar believes that many will consider changing jobs.
– I think many will resign. I am one of them, says Oskar Wulf.
Understand the concern
In Region Jönköping, to which Oskar Wulf belongs, the concern is understandable.
– I think there is something deeply human in that when someone else tells me how much rest I need, purely instinctively, it is nothing we perceive as positive. But I believe and hope that in the long run we will see benefits from this, says Patrick Nzamba who is HR director in the Jönköping region.
It is Sweden’s municipalities and regions (SKR) together with Sobona and six central trade unions that signed the agreement. According to them, despite criticism, it is important that the agreement is now in place.
– It is a difficult situation, at the same time we also need to work to stabilize the working environment, and there the location is an absolutely crucial issue. That we have a location that gives the employees the opportunity to rest and recover, says Jeanette Hedberg who is head of negotiations at SKR.
This means the new 24-hour rest provision
• On 1 October 2023, the new regulations regarding 24-hour rest will come into force.
• A total of 1.2 million employees are covered by the changed collective agreements.
• The background is that the EU Commission, after a private person submitted a report, discovered that Sweden systematically violates the EU’s working time directive by having too many exceptions to the rules about 11 hours of daily rest.
• The new provision means that all employees in municipalities and regions must have at least 11 hours of continuous 24-hour rest during each 24-hour period, and that work must be followed by 24-hour rest.
• The changes are made so that the collective agreement’s regulations on 24-hour rest must meet the minimum requirements of at least 11 hours of 24-hour rest and that work and 24-hour rest must alternate according to the EU’s working time directive. If a law or a collective agreement does not meet the minimum requirements, the European Court of Justice can declare the provision invalid.
• It is Sweden’s municipalities and regions (SKR)/Sobona and the trade union parties that signed the agreement. Everyone has drawn the same conclusion and therefore negotiated new regulations on 24-hour rest that must meet the minimum requirements according to the EU’s working time directive.
SOURCE: SKR