Sweden should modernize the collective agreements according to the German model | IKEM – Innovations

A new report from IKEM – The Innovation and Chemical Industries highlights Germany’s successful implementation of employee agreements as a model for Sweden to aspire to.

Employee agreements, a joint collective agreement covering both workers and white-collar workers, have proven to be an effective solution to modernize the labor market and make it more flexible and inclusive. Today, IKEM’s releases a new report that points to how Sweden can benefit from following Germany’s example.

– In recent years, Germany has been at the forefront of a labor market where old boundaries between workers and white-collar workers are blurred, which has strengthened both the employer and employee sides. Nobody wants to go back to the old division, says Caspian Rehbinder, responsible for labor market policy, IKEM.

The historical division between workers and civil servants in Sweden has led to complex contractual structures and unnecessary bureaucracy. The report shows that a move to employee agreements can reduce these problems and promote a more unified workplace culture.

– By introducing employee agreements, we can reduce administrative costs and create a more attractive labor market for both Swedish and international companies. It is time for the labor market partners to take the lessons learned from Germany and dare to take the step towards a more modern model in Sweden as well, says Henrik Stävberg, head of negotiations, IKEM.