Environment/Climate Change, Trade, Quality employment, Work-life balance

Following the article on Iceland, the latest in the series of articles on working time commissioned by EPSU from the Labour Research Department focuses on developments in the other Nordic countries. While several unions in Sweden have put shorter working time on the bargaining agenda (see also article on Sweden in this newsletter), there are only a few cases in social care where a shorter working week has been implemented. In Norway and Denmark the priority has been more to ensure that workers in health and care and other services have the right to full-time working although there are some

The SDE energy trade union has raised concerns about the capacity of the energy sector to cope with the green transition. The union highlights slow wage growth in the sector, which is adding to the major challenges in recruiting new staff and the lengthy training required to ensure they have the specific skills needed. The SDE is also worried that existing staff are leaving the energy sector and seeking employment in better-paid positions in other industries. The union points out that a lack of skilled staff will make it difficult to successfully upgrade energy facilities. It has also raised

The Vision trade union is aiming to address climate issues at work through a network of climate representatives who are aiming to work with employers to take a range of initiatives including looking at ways to make commuting more sustainable. Climate reps in 15 branches, representing thousands of members in municipalities, regions and the Church of Sweden, are currently putting forward proposals such as subsidized travel cards for public transport, initiatives to provide bikes, charging stations at the workplace and other things that enable reduced climate impact from commuting. Vision says it