On 3 February 2000, a new collective agreement for about 20,000 salaried employees in the temporary work agency sector was concluded. The parties to the deal were the Salaried Employees' Union (Tjänstemannaförbundet, HTF) and the Association of Graduate Engineers (Sveriges Civilingenjörsförbund, CF) on the trade union side, and the Swedish Service Employers' Association (Tjänsteföretagens Arbetsgivareförbund) for employers. The previous agreement expired in July 1999, and negotiations were held during the autumn and winter of 1999/2000. No threats or notices of industrial action were issued.
A new collective agreement for 20,000 salaried employees in the Swedish temporary work agency sector was concluded at the beginning of February 2000. Workers will receive a higher "guarantee wage", and may undergo training during working hours.
On 3 February 2000, a new collective agreement for about 20,000 salaried employees in the temporary work agency sector was concluded. The parties to the deal were the Salaried Employees' Union (Tjänstemannaförbundet, HTF) and the Association of Graduate Engineers (Sveriges Civilingenjörsförbund, CF) on the trade union side, and the Swedish Service Employers' Association (Tjänsteföretagens Arbetsgivareförbund) for employers. The previous agreement expired in July 1999, and negotiations were held during the autumn and winter of 1999/2000. No threats or notices of industrial action were issued.
The new agreement regulates the employment conditions for temporary agency workers from 1 March 2000 until 31 March 2001. After 10 months' of employment, the so-called "guarantee wage" (ie the minimum pay received, regardless of the number of hours worked) will be increased from 85% to 75% of normal monthly pay. The agreement also contains a basic salary system, ensuring that the level of the guarantee wage is the same every month. A possibility of developing skills during paid working hours is another improvement compared with the old agreement: up until now, employees have had to use their own time for this purpose. The parties to the agreement will establish a working group to study actual forms of pay and propose a new long-term wage system.
At the end of April 1999, HTF withdrew from the existing collective agreement for temporary work agencies prior to its expiry on 31 July 1999 (SE9905159N). The union had three general claims: first, an increase in the "guarantee wage" from 75% of monthly pay to 100%; second, a "true" monthly salary calculated not only on a Monday-to-Friday basis but also taking into account holidays and weekends; and third, paid education and training for workers during their working hours. The new agreement thus meets some of HTF's demands
According to a report published by the parties at the beginning of February 2000, temporary work agencies have about 20,000 employees, some 0.5% of the Swedish labour force. About 90% of the employees are women, working mostly in office administration. About 70% of the temporary agency workers are trade union members.
The recently concluded negotiations for the temporary agency work sector form part of the overall negotiations on pay and working conditions under the national salaried employees' agreement (Tjänstemannaavtalet) between HTF/CF and, among others, the Swedish Federation of Trade (Handelsarbetsgivarna) and the Swedish Service Employers' Association. Negotiations for the wider sector were due to start on 9 March 2000.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2000), New agreement concluded for temporary work agencies, article.
