About local collective agreements

On this page:

1. About the review during 2025-2026 
2. The agreement process
3. The local collective agreements at SLU
4. For employees covered by the former Swedish National Board of Fisheries (Fiskeriverket) agreement

Review during 2025 - 2026

A review of our local collective agreements is currently underway — a process that will continue for several years.

The employer has now invited the employee organisations to negotiations regarding the following agreements:

• Local collective agreement on office working hours at SLU
• Local collective agreement on working hours and working time-related compensation for teaching staff, doctoral students, and others
• Local collective agreement at SLU on compensation, etc., for business travel and official duties
• Local collective agreement on working hours and working time-related compensation, etc., for employees covered by so-called fieldwork agreements

Purpose and objectives

The purpose and objectives of the review are to establish agreements that:

• ensure compliance with the Working Time Directive (EU legislation)
• contribute to a sustainable working life, with a focus on compensatory rest
• apply to all employees at SLU and follow the same principles for compensation

The agreement process towards a new collective agreement

In general, a negotiation process includes the following phases:

1. Preparation phase
The employer carries out extensive preparatory work, often together with representatives from different parts of the organisation who contribute background material. Dialogue with the trade unions also takes place during this phase.

2. Negotiation phase
When negotiations begin, the employer invites the three trade union representatives with collective agreement rights (the chairs of Saco, ST, and SEKO) to negotiate the new local collective agreements. During this phase, negotiation confidentiality applies.

3. Implementation phase
Once the agreements have been reached, their content is communicated, HR systems are updated, and any new routines or regulations are implemented in the organisation.

Parties to an agreement process

There are two parties involved in a collective agreement process: the employer and the trade unions. Each part has its own roles and responsibilities.

The employer:

• Prepares the case for negotiation
• Acts as the negotiating party vis-à-vis the unions
• Responsible for informing the organisation about the new agreements

The trade unions:

• Represent their members
• Act as the negotiating part vis-à-vis the employer

The local collective agreements at SLU

Collective agreements will not be translated in order to prevent misunderstanding. Please talk to the HR-specialists or your manager if you have questions.

For employees covered by the former Swedish National Board of Fisheries (Fiskeriverket) agreement

As part of the review, SLU has terminated the local working hours and travel compensation agreement originating from the former Swedish National Board of Fisheries (Fiskeriverket). As a result, all employees at the Department of Aquatic Resources will transition to SLU’s local collective agreements.

The parties (the employer and the employee organisations) agree that the objective is to complete the negotiations and finalise the collective agreements by 30 April, so that the new local collective agreements can come into force on 1 May. If the work is not fully completed by that date, a fixed-term collective agreement may be concluded and evaluated after one year.

The parties also agree that the current terms and conditions will continue to apply in the affected operations during March and April.

Read more about how the new agreements will affect you as an employees at SLU Aqua.