Precarious jobs – now the Government will review the law – Swedish Radio

Precarious jobs – now the Government will review the law – Swedish Radio

The European Union has severely criticized Sweden for the employer utilizes fixed-term contracts, particularly through the concept of “universal fixed-term” introduced in 2007. The Ministry of Labour has now decided to revise the law.

– I’m never sure about my financial situation at all, says Philip Nystrom.

He has been a temporary employee for nearly eight years and describes a work situation where he had three – four jobs in parallel to get together its economy. None of the jobs were scheduled.

– I have no rights practically, I’m barely employee when I’m not at work.

Since the general fixed-term introduced in Sweden in 2007, the temporary employment has increasingly become a problem for the employees, says among other unions municipal, commercial and hotel and restaurant, whose members suffer from short-term, unsafe working conditions. In hotel and restaurant has almost half of the members of temporary employment.

The large increase, says the unions, primarily concerns the worst of fixed term contracts, assignments may mean that the person entering service can work during peak periods. A demand for labor based on the employer’s desire for flexibility.

– It relies little on what the employer calls the flexibility, it is to me rather an extreme uncertainty, says Philip Nystrom.

He describes a work situation where he is on “hold”, instead of being idle and where he is constantly on the bucks to help out at temporary jobs. He says he’s living with chronic economic distress.

The EU requires that each member state has an effective protection against the abuse of repeated fixed-term contracts. If Sweden does not change its rules, the Commission may decide to bring an action against Sweden at the European Court of Justice.

Now, the government started a ministry internal investigation to review the law on temporary contracts.

– You have to put up some kind of limitation, says Irene Wennemo, State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour.

Continuing on the way it does today, it creates extremely long chains of fixed-term contracts which is what the EU Commission thinks is the major problem of the Swedish labor market.

– It creates a huge legal uncertainty. That’s what we have to give ourselves, says Irene Wennemo

Susanna Einerstam
susanna.einerstam@sverigesradio.se