The industrial unions are requesting 4.4 percent wage increases next year, the five unions announced on Monday.
The demand is the highest that the industrial union IF metall, the Union, GS, the Food Workers’ Union and Sweden’s engineers have set since they began negotiating an industrial agreement 25 years ago. It is motivated by strengthened Swedish competitiveness, good profitability in Swedish companies and record high employment.
But with the high inflation, the industrial unions expect reduced real wages for the workers in the next year – at the same time, they make the assessment that wage increases of this level will not drive up inflation further.
– What we are doing now is that we are taking out the salary space that is clearly available in the companies to take out. It is our members’ right to take part in the value that they are helping to create, says Martin Linder, union chairman Unionen.
In the player above: This is how welder Johnny reacts to today’s news.