Be a union rep
You and your colleagues know what the most important issues are at your workplace. By being actively involved in a trade union, you can have more influence on what happens and have a say on issues such as reorganisations, salary negotiations and managerial appointments. You don’t need any previous knowledge or experience, just commitment.
Why should I become a union representative?
- Learn more about what happens behind the scenes at work.
- Influence your employer's decisions through constructive dialogue about the company.
- Develop your skills through courses and real-life experience of negotiation techniques, employment law, contract law and representation.
- Receive appreciation from colleagues who, thanks to your commitment, both receive support and get improved conditions at work.
Have an impact at your workplace
In our short film ”Influence your workplace”, elected representatives talk about why they have chosen to get involved in the work of the union.
Why are local union representatives important?
Are you not receiving information about what is going on at work? Do reorganisations, changes in the business or changes to your employee benefits happen suddenly and without warning?
Having collective agreements and union representatives in place means you have fantastic opportunities to create a better workplace. With collective agreements, the employer is obliged to negotiate with the union before making decisions about major changes in the workplace. This gives employees the opportunity to influence what goes on in the workplace by contributing opinions, ideas and suggestions before the employer makes a decision.
When we have union representatives in the workplace, the employer negotiates with representatives of the employees who know what issues are important in your particular workplace. You have knowledge of the work and the employees that the employer only acquires through dialogue with you.
Examples of important union issues in the workplace:
- Salaries
- Work environment
- Reorganisations
- Managerial appointments
- Redundancies
- Competence development
- Local agreements on working hours, leave, health care, lunch subsidies and more.
How do I become a union representative?
To be become a union representative at your workplace, you need to be elected by the members of a local association or be appointed by the union to be its local contact person.
If there is already a local association at your workplace, you should contact your local elected representatives. You can find their contact details in the My pages section of the website.
Form a new local association or become a contact person
If you are interested in getting involved in the work of the trade union at your workplace, you will find information and support on the Saco unions’ website akademikerforening.se. The material there is primarily aimed at people who work in the private sector.
You are also very welcome to contact our recruitment and development officers at the Engineers of Sweden central office by email, by phone or by using the form below.
If you work in the state sector, you can contact Saco-S.
Contact
For more information, fill in the form and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
You can also contact us at kontakt@akademikerforening.se or on 08-6138000.
Our recruitment and development officers will help you if you are interested in forming a new local association or becoming a contact person. You can also get advice on statutes, annual meetings and other matters related to the union assignment.
