Sweden United

Here is the first draft on joining a union for white collar workers in Sweden.

There are several choices but in the interest of time I will focus on one organization

Unionen (https://www.unionen.se/default____89.aspx )

To join Unionen you must:

1. Work for a private company.
2. Be a tjänsteman (salaried employee).

The main benefit of joining a union is unemployment protection. It takes a considerable amount of time to become protected so join as soon as you are eligible to!

There are two levels of unemployment protection . The first level comes from joining an unemployment agency. The second levels comes from joining the union itself.

1. First join an unemployment agency. For example, Alfa Kassan or Unionen A-Kassan (https://www.internetkassan.nu/14/). (Here is a link to the applications (only in Swedish) https://www.internetkassan.nu/14/Index.aspx?id=313) .

By being a member of the unemployment agency you are eligible for 80% of your salary up to about 18,000 SEK a month (At Unionen A-Kassan). From the day of joining the union it will take 6 months before you are eligible for this (it may have changed to 12 months..waiting for a clarification from them).

2. You will need to join the actual union to receive supplemental insurance that covers up to 80% of your salary up to 80,000 SEK a month. Union dues are between 50 and 220 SEK a month depending on your income.

After being a member for 18 months you are entitled to receive 80% of your salary for a period of 150 days.  You can pay an additional 50 to 100 SEK per month (dependant on income) to give you an extra 50 days protection.

The following is a link to apply for the union (In English). However, be sure and apply for the unemployment agency first.

https://www.unionen.se/UploadFiles/Dokument/Om%20Unionen/Best%C3%A4ll%20och%20ladda%20ner/Blanketter/Application%20form_english.pdf

Summary. This may sound very confusing and the very nice person at Unionen who explained this to me said , “yes, this is very confusing even when I try and explain it in Swedish”. So if you are still confused just ask and we will try to find more clarification on your questions.

Your union can also assist you with workplace disputes and salary negotiations. Although, you are welcome to negotiate your salary or resolve disputes on your own as well.