Welcome to IF Metall

Welcome to
IF Metall
IF Metall is a trade union that works to make sure that you and all its
other members will be treated fairly and get better wages, better working conditions, more influence and greater job security. Altogether we
have just over 350,000 members at nearly 12,000 workplaces all over
Sweden. Because there are so many of us we have a better chance to
influence conditions – not only in our workplaces but in society as a
whole.
IF Metall’s members work for instance in mechanical engineering and
plastics, pharmaceuticals, textiles and clothing, ironworks and glassworks, building materials, mines, vehicle repair and in sheltered employment.
All members of IF Metal are valued equally – irrespective of age, gender,
origin, or sexual orientation.
The core of the trade union
The trade union is an organisation for you as a wage earner. Together
we are strong and can stand up for our rights against the employers.
Welco
In the trade union we come to
an agreement on the wages and
the conditions we can demand
for our work and that none of
us will work for less. We call this
the trade union vow. Without
this vow there would be negative competition in the labour market – if you are prepared to work for
lower wages, then so must I if I want to keep my job and so on.
Unemployment insurance is part of the trade union vow. The unemployed receive an income so that they do not have to take jobs for
less pay or on worse conditions and this makes it possible to keep our
trade union vow. In the long run, a good unemployment fund benefits
every wage earner.
Photo: Henrik Hansson (cover picture), Lasse Robertsson (pages 3 and 9), Olof Näslund (page 7),
Marie Ullnert (pages 11 and 15).
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Welcome to IF Metall
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This is what we
A powerful union
The more members we have in the union, the more influence we have.
That is why our goal is to recruit every worker in a company and make
sure that as many as possible work actively in the union. Active and
knowledgeable members and elected officials are in fact vital if a union
is to be powerful. We cannot struggle on our own but we are much
stronger when we unite!
Binding agreements
READ
MORE ON
page 6
The most important job for a trade union is to negotiate a collective
agreement. A collective agreement is an agreement between the trade
union and the employer. It guarantees minimum wage levels and holiday pay, the right to extra payment for overtime and unsocial working
hours etc. This protects you from arbitrary or unfair treatment. In exchange we promise the employer freedom from disputes and our labour.
No wage dumping
It is important for Swedish collective agreements to apply to all the work
that is done in Sweden. Otherwise there is a risk that irresponsible employers will compete by offering lower wages, worse terms and dangerous working conditions. Today’s international labour market must not
be used to put pressure on workers’ conditions.
A fair society
The task of the trade unions also involves working for a fair, democratic and equal society where everyone stands up for everyone else and
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Welcome to IF Metall
are working for
where each and everyone of us has the right to a decent and secure life.
That is why we not only demand better wages and working conditions
but also various political decisions that will benefit our members.
Job development
IF Metall wants to create better jobs and more competitive companies by developing the content of the work we do and the way in which
workplaces are organised. The goal is to make sure that if you are an industrial worker you must have a chance to develop in your work, get the
training and vocational development you need and also have more influence over your workplace.
Better working conditions
IF Metall is working constantly to improve the conditions in which you
and every other member has to work. Even so, anyone who is injured
at work or suffers from other problems must be able to feel that the
union supports them and be given good rehabilitation so that they can
return to work.
READ
MORE ON
page 10
Support for change
The union’s members are working in sectors that are continually changing. This makes security important, both job security and security when
there are changes. Members who become unemployed need a reliable
safety net and effective labour market policies. Anyone who is unemployed should receive a reasonable income – and this benefits all wage
earners in the long run.
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Our agreements
An agreement reached between an employers’ association and a trade
union organisation is called a collective agreement. There are different
types of agreements.
National agreements
Agreements between central trade union organisations and central employers’ associations that apply to entire sectors are called national
agreements. These provide the basis for local bargaining and make it
possible to allocate wage rises in the same way all over Sweden. National agreements govern, for instance, minimum wage levels and rises,
regulations about monthly and hourly pay and insurance cover as well as
sick pay, holiday pay and payment for working during holidays.
Local agreements
National agreements are often supplemented by local agreements to allow higher rates of pay, for instance. They are the result of bargaining
in the workplace. If a workplace has a local union club the negotiations
take place between the elected union representatives and the employers’ representatives. If there is no local union club, representatives of
the local branch negotiate with the employer.
Readjustment agreements
If you work for a company with a collective agreement and are made redundant, as a trade union member you are entitled to what is called readjustment support – professional help to find a new job. This support
is paid for with money that has been set aside by the employees during
negotiations on national agreements.
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Laws and
agreements
work together
In Sweden there are a number of labour market laws that lay down your
rights and obligations in the workplace, for instance:
• The Employment Protection Act (Lagen om anställningsskydd, LAS) ,
which says that employers cannot sack workers without good reason
•
The Codetermination in the Workplace Act (Medbestämmandelagen,
MBL), which gives employees a greater say in decisions made by
their employers.
•
The Trade Union Representatives Act (Förtroendemannalagen, FML),
which gives elected trade union representatives the right to work
with issues that affect conditions in their own workplaces
during paid working hours.
•
The Work Environment Act (Arbetsmiljölagen, AML), which is
intended to prevent unhealthy working conditions and industrial
accidents.
These laws are often supplemented by our collective agreements.
Other laws that protect your rights as employees include the Annual
Leave Act (Semesterlagen), the Discrimination Act (Diskrimineringslagen), the Parental Leave Act (Föräldraledighetslagen) and the Study
Leave Act (Studieledighetslagen).
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Welcome to IF Metall
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You are insured
Through its collective agreements and other insurance arrangements
IF Metall has created an extra safety net for you and every other member.
This helps you to cope financially when social support runs short. In some
cases your family is also covered.
Insurance cover in agreements
Everyone working in a company that has a collective agreement is covered
by the insurance it includes. This provides financial support, for instance,
when you are ill or injured at work. Thanks to the agreement, your employer
also contributes to a pension fund to supplement your state retirement pension. This insurance is paid for with money that has been set aside by the
employees during negotiations on national agreements.
Membership insurance
Your membership also includes accident insurance for when you are not at
work and life insurance. When you join the union you also have a chance
to take out sickness insurance or insure your survivors and to increase the
amount payable if you become an invalid as a result of accidents in your
free time.
Your working
environment
The ultimate responsibility for your workplace lies with your employer.
Even so, workplace conditions are often neglected. That is why our elected
health and safety representatives – who make sure that employers live up
to their responsibilities – are vital.
The Workplace Environment Act stipulates that a workplace with at least
five employees must have a health and safety representative. At workplaces
with more than 50 employees there also has to be a health and safety committee with representatives of both the employees and the employer.
The struggle for a safe and secure workplace environment is one of the cornerstones in the work of IF Metall. The more competent and committed
health and safety representatives we have, the better we can make the environments in which we work.
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The union is never
far away
As a member of IF Metall you can get in touch with the union day and
night at www.ifmetall.se. There you will find information about what
the union is doing, trade union news and a link to the unemployment
fund. IF Metall can also be contacted through Facebook, Twitter and
YouTube.
You are also close to several elected representatives – people who have
been entrusted to represent the members and speak on their behalf.
One of them may, for example, be your health and safety representative, local branch representative, a member of the executive committee
of your local club or local branch or the insurance representative.
Local representatives
Workplaces that do not have a local club often have a local representative. If the trade union is not represented at your workplace, the local
branch executive committee is responsible for contacts with the members.
Local clubs
Local clubs are set up in companies with many employees. The members of the union elect their own executive committee to represent
them and stand up for their interests against the employer. The members decide what issues the club is going to take action about. This is
usually decided at general meetings, which also deal with wages, work-
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Welcome to IF Metall
ing conditions, study groups and other issues the members feel are important.
Local branches
Members in one or more localities form a local branch. This supports
trade union activities in workplaces in the region. IF Metall has local
branches all over Sweden. At their offices there are local branch officers
and other employees who provide support for negotiations, work with
the unemployment fund, membership fees etc.
National Executive Committee
The task of the national executive committee is to manage the operations of the union between its congresses. It is assisted by the National
Head Office. The National Head Office can also provide support for issues that cannot be resolved locally. These may involve disputes about
how to interpret laws and agreements, analysis, statistics, national
wage bargaining and other matters.
Trade Union Council
At least once every year there is a meeting of the Trade Union Council,
which is the National Executive Committee’s advisory body and decides
on the operational plans and budget for the coming year. The council
consists of the presidents of all the local branches and the National Executive Committee.
Congress
Every three years there is a trade union congress at which the National
Executive Committee is elected. In addition, the congress decides on
IF Metall’s goals and the main focus of its operations. The 300 delegates
are elected by the members of the local branches.
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Membership dues
The membership dues in IF Metall are a percentage of your wage, on
average 1.7 per cent, plus a fixed charge for the unemployment fund.
There is, however, a ceiling that sets a limit to how much you have to
pay, as well as a minimum level. Some of your dues go to the union,
some to the unemployment fund and some to the local branch.
The amount you pay is determined by the Congress and the local branch
but it is also affected by political decisions, which lay down, for example, how much you have to pay to the unemployment fund.
Member’s dues are used, for instance, to pay for the following activities:
• The negotiation of central agreements and disputes as well as the
union’s work to improve working conditions.
•
The activities of the local branch, including negotiations, working
conditions and study programmes on trade union affairs.
•
Membership insurance.
•
The National Executive Committee, Union Council, Bargaining
Council and Congress as well as international trade union activities.
•
Legal aid, for instance if you have an accident or are unlawfully
dismissed.
•
The unemployment fund.
•
The union strike fund, which is needed if the union declares a strike
or is locked out
The union’s early days
The first trade unions were founded just over a century ago. At that time there was a great
deal of unemployment and widespread poverty, wages were low and working conditions
poor.
Workers protested by striking and demonstrating, but they were often forced back to work
by hunger. They soon realised that if they could stick together in trade unions their employers would have to listen to them.
So that the trade union struggle could be waged in the political arena as well, at the end
of the 19th century the Swedish trade union movement founded the Social Democratic
Labour Party (Socialdemokratiska Arbetarepartiet, SAP). During the 20th century – despite
opposition from the employers and right-wing parties – the trade unions, together with
the Social Democrats, have managed to increase the influence of wage earners in their
workplaces and in society.
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Welcome to IF Metall is intended for new
members and those who want to find out
more about the union. This brochure
describes IF Metall’s goals, how the union
functions and what membership includes.
Benefit from being a member
Advice and help
As a member of IF Metall you always have someone to turn to. You can
get support and advice about everything relating to your job from one of
the union’s elected representatives or staff. All our members are entitled
to good service and help when they need it.
Trade union studies
Trade union studies will offer you a chance to get to know more about
your rights and your obligations in the workplace. In this way IF Metall
becomes stronger and so do you as a member. All trade union training
courses are free – you pay through your dues. If you want to know more,
get in touch with whoever is responsible for studies at your workplace,
in your local club or local branch.
SE-105 52 Stockholm
+46(0)8-786 80 00
www.ifmetall.se
OF-101/IF Metall 20110124/Sandvikens tryckeri AB/3 000 ex
You can change things
As a member you have every chance of influencing changes in your
workplace, in the trade union and in society as a whole. For instance
you can take part in trade union meetings and study programmes and
influence decisions in the local club, the local branch and the entire
union. You can be elected as a representative and influence matters
that are of special concern to you and at the same time take part in the
struggle to improve conditions in the workplace and against social injustices.