Five-year pay agreements concluded for nurses, midwives and biomedical analysts

March 2000 saw the conclusion of two five-year pay agreements for about 90,000 nurses, midwives and biomedical analysts employed by Swedish local and county authorities. There will be a guaranteed pay rise of at least 2% per year for the whole group, with an extra 0.5% in 2000, but actual increases will be negotiated at local level, linked to results achieved by individual workers.

On 24 March 2000, a new pay deal - in fact two agreements with identical contents on crucial points - were concluded for the 90,000 nurses, midwives and biomedical analysts employed in the local and county council sectors in Sweden. The agreements are valid for five years, expiring on 31 March 2005, and were concluded by the Swedish Association of Health Officers (Vårdförbundet) and two employers' bodies - the Swedish Association of Local Authorities (Kommunförbundet) and the Swedish Federation of County Councils (Landstingsförbundet). The deals provide for a guaranteed pay increase of at least 2% per year for the whole group, with an additional 0.5% in 2000. The agreements provide no individual guarantees, which means formally that individual workers do not know how much their pay will rise during the period of the agreement. Actual pay increases will be negotiated by the local parties, linked to the results achieved by individual workers. Differences in pay will thus be increased, a development that is supported by the trade union.

Bargaining over the agreements started in autumn 1999 and proceeded very quietly. This was an intentional strategy by the trade union in a situation where the labour market forces are currently so favourable for its members. Four years ago, when the previous agreements were negotiated, the situation was different. The parties did not reach an agreement until after seven weeks of strikes by nurses. Today, there is a shortage of competent nurses and this will open up possibilities for higher wages, the chair of the Swedish Association of Health Officers, Eva Fernvall, has stated confidently on several occasions. Also, in the period up to 2005 about 10,000 nurses and midwives will retire.

It has been a part of the bargaining strategy of the trade union to demand local negotiations at workplace level, even though many members would have preferred sectoral agreements with more detailed regulations, for reasons of equity. The new agreements cover about 73,000 employees in the counties and 16,000 employees in the local authorities. The Swedish Association of Health Officers has about 111,000 members among nurses, midwives and biomedical analysts working in hospitals and nursing homes (representing 93% of all such staff). Some 90% of the union's members work in the counties and the local authorities.

The union's congress accepted the two agreements on 29 March 2000. The local negotiations may start whenever the parties choose. According to the union's calculations, there may well be a 25% pay rise over five years. Average monthly pay today, average overtime pay included, is SEK 19,700 for nurses. The average overtime pay is SEK 1,700 per month.