Newsletter June -23

As mentioned in the March '23 Newsletter, several hybrid member meetings were held during the spring, targeting members from different faculties at the university. The agenda included discussions on working hour agreements, service schedules, and Retendo. Additionally, a hybrid meeting with the same content was conducted in English. In May, our members had the opportunity to participate in a webinar on pensions with SULF's ombudsman, Anna Ekenberg, organized by the Saco-S association at the University of Gothenburg. A similar webinar will be held in English during the autumn. In June, we conducted two hybrid meetings on salary and salary determination – one in Swedish and one in English.

Although some managers have started the annual salary setting talks, there is currently no agreement on the process for determining the upcoming salaries for Saco-S association members. Our hope is to reach such an agreement with the employer regarding the procedures for salary determination for the new salaries effective from 2023-10-01 immediately after the summer break. During the spring, we met individually with the deans to discuss the faculties' priorities regarding salary issues, considering the outcomes of the previous salary negotiations. Towards the end of June, the labor organizations will receive information about the frameworks and priorities that the employer intends to establish for the upcoming salary review. We will also follow up on areas for development identified in previous salary revisions. The Saco-S association has a dedicated "Salary" section on its website, which you can access via the link below:

https://www.saco.se/lokala-webbplatser/saco-s-foreningen-vid-linneuniversitetet/lon/

As part of the university's salary formation, the employer is required to conduct an annual salary survey focusing on gender pay disparities. This time, as the labor union, we have chosen not to endorse the mentioned salary survey because it does not include measures for addressing unjustifiable pay gaps between men and women. Furthermore, we believe that we should have been more involved in the process and had access to the same information as the employer. You can find the labor organizations' feedback (in Swedish) on the 2022 salary survey through the link below:

Feedback on the 2022 Salary Survey

We have also emphasized that the university should utilize internal resources, such as expert competence and research, when conducting salary surveys. Recently, we have received indications from the employer that they are considering a different approach to salary surveys in the future, which we view positively.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding salaries and salary determination, you are welcome to contact a member of the Saco-S association's negotiation delegation, which consists of Karina Petersson (karina.petersson@lnu.se), Gunilla Gunnarsson (gunilla.gunnarsson@lnu.se), and Jan Andersson (jan.andersson@lnu.se).

We have reviewed the university's service scheduling and its processes. As a result, the Saco-S association, together with other labor organizations at the university, initiated a local dispute negotiation in early February, claiming general damages for violations of the local teachers' working hour agreement in the following areas:

1. Consultation in the Establishment of Work Schedules. According to the local working time agreement, the planning of annual working hours should be done in consultation with the teacher during the establishment of the work schedule and any subsequent changes to it. This is lacking in several of the institution's departments.
2. Establishment of Work Schedules on a Calendar Year Basis. According to the local working time agreement, work schedules should be established on an annual basis, and before the employer announces decisions regarding the upcoming year's work schedule, local employee organizations should be notified. This is lacking in several of the institution's departments.
3. Documentation of Work Schedule Planning. According to the local working time agreement, work schedules should be documented and followed up at the department level, and the plans should be determined by the employer. Consequently, a reference must be made as documentation, and finalized work schedules should be archived. Members have experienced changes being made during the year that are not communicated and/or finalized with a new reference.

During a total of three meetings in March and April, the written presentation was developed, and the parties agreed on the following actions to resolve the dispute:

• In the short term, starting from the autumn term, ensuring that work schedule planning is communicated between managers and employees, and initiating the development of procedures for consultation in the establishment of work schedules as well as in the revision of work schedules during the calendar year. The development of these procedures will be a joint effort and should be completed no later than 231031. Subsequently, training sessions on procedures and interpretations of the working time agreement should be conducted jointly for all heads of departments and work schedule planners.
• In the long term, within two years, ensuring that the aforementioned training becomes a natural part of management training, continuously offered.

During the spring, we have also conducted a dispute negotiation – concerning another aspect of the local working time agreement for teachers. It has been about the allocation of administrative time, which systematically has been lower at a department than what we perceive the agreement allows.

During the spring, the Saco-S association, together with other trade unions, has also participated in various managerial recruitments, primarily by interviewing relevant candidates. We have also conducted interviews with candidates for the ongoing recruitment of a pro-rector.

The Saco-S association has also, on several occasions during the spring, met groups of members and represented individual members in various trade union matters.

Saco-S consists of 18 trade unions, of which we have members in 15. Regarding the local activities within these unions, we intend to develop the Saco-S association's website so that their respective contact persons and activities can become better known.

The contact person for DIK is Jennie Aagesson (jennie.aagesson@lnu.se), who is a librarian at UB in Kalmar.

The contact person and chairman of the newly formed board for the local branch of SULF at the University is Maria Bergström (maria.bergstrom@lnu.se), who is a lecturer at the Department of Chemistry and Biomedicine in Kalmar.

We welcome any information about additional contact persons for other trade unions within Saco-S at the University and will ensure that our website is updated accordingly.

If you have any questions you would like to bring up with us or if you would like to be involved in the union work on the board of the Saco-S association or as a safety representative, please contact any of us on the board. You can find contact information via the link below:

https://www.saco.se/lokala-webbplatser/saco-s-foreningen-vid-linneuniversitetet/kontakt/

Wishing you a pleasant and relaxing summer!

Jan Andersson and Gunilla Gunnarsson – and the rest of the board for the Saco-S association at Linnaeus University.

During the vacation, you can contact either SULF's member advisory service (https://sulf.se/om-sulf/kontakta-oss/) or reach out to us by emailing Jan Andersson (jan.andersson@lnu.se) or Gunilla Gunnarsson (gunilla.gunnarsson@lnu.se). We check our emails regularly but not on a daily basis.