FAQ - Answers to frequently asked questions
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We have a large union organization at LiU. As a member in one of the Saco unions you belong to the so called Saco umbrella. This means that the union reps in Saco-S at LiU negotiate for you, both at an individual level and at a collective level. The negotiations can include everything from salary and other work conditions, to individual negotiations.
We have a salary group that participates in the “salary survey” (to see that there are objective reasons for differences in salaries). They also take care of everything else related to salaries. We have a group that help individual members when they need support towards the employer. We also have other groups that works proactively with different issues, for example one for PhD candidates:
https://www.saco.se/lokala-webbplatser/saco-s-vid-liu/Var-verksamhet/fackliga-arbetsgrupper/https://www.saco.se/fortroendevald/lokalt-fackligt-arbete/lokala-foreningar/statlig/saco-s-vid-liu/Var-verksamhet/fackliga-arbetsgrupper/At LiU we have a cooperative agreement which gives the union the right to discuss and influence important decisions. We have representatives in the central cooperative group (CSG) and also in the local cooperative groups at each department (LSG).
https://www.saco.se/fortroendevald/lokalt-fackligt-arbete/lokala-foreningar/statlig/saco-s-vid-liu/Var-verksamhet/fackliga-arbetsgrupper/For individual issues (or questions regarding the LiU level), you can contact saco-s@liu.se. It can be anything related to the employment at LiU. We help all members, regardless of campus, department or union organization in Saco.
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Yes, you do. If you are on parental leave during the time you have a work contract at LiU, you get a top-up of your salary, above the parental benefit you get from Försäkringskassan.
You apply to Försäkringskassan for parental benefit and you choose 1-7 days per week (7 days for full benefit if you are on 100 % leave). Regarding LiU, you apply for parental leave and then you get a salary top up. This is thanks to the unions’ collective agreements with the employer. Basically you get almost 80 % of your salary from Försäkringskassan (if full benefit) and 10 % from LiU. You don’t have to apply separately, it should come as long as you applied for parental leave to LiU. Just check your salary specifications from LiU so you see it there.
If you are employed as a ‘doktorand’ or ‘postdoktor’ (as long as your postdoc employment is linked to the central agreement on postdocs), you also have the right to prolongation of your employment for at least the same time as your parental leave, so you can continue your postdoc when you start working again and you don’t lose employment time.
More information through LiU sharepoint: https://liuonline.sharepoint.com/sites/intranet-anstallningsvillkor/SitePages/en/Foraldraledighet.aspx
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There are many advantages being a member of the union. Even if you have a fixed-term employment you can get advice before your salary negotiation every year, if you are a member. And just like all other employees, you have many good working benefits. They are regulated in collective agreements, negotiated by the union. We cannot work as strongly to keep these conditions without members. The time we can work as union reps is related to how many members we have.
We keep an eye on fixed-term contracts to make sure they are not misused. We can help you as a member, if you have some kind of trouble with your employment and with facts regarding the rules and regulations for different types of employment.
For example we had a dialogue with a member who got the wrong information on overtime, when employed as a research engineer. We helped this member to get double compensation when ordered to work a Sunday, instead of just getting time off the same number of hours.
We are also used to helping non-EU-citizens with questions about residence permits. In short, some of the advantages with a membership are about security and some about access to competent information.
It is also good to be a member of the unemployment fund (a-kassan). As a member you can have an income even if you are unemployed for a while. Read more at www.aea.se.
If you are a member of both the a-kassa and the union, you also have an income insurance included in the union membership (for most unions). This might give you an even higher income if unemployed. A qualification time is applied for both a-kassa and union’s income insurance.
Saco-S representatives meet the employer regularly, both at the departments and at central LiU. We get insight and influence changes and decisions made by LiU. We always work for the best of our members. Everything is not decided the way we want, but we can guarantee that many things would be worse if we had not had the chance to have a say. And, as mentioned before, we safeguard your interests and that the conditions in our agreements are applied – if not, we negotiate for the individual member.
Here you can find more information on the different unions inside Saco-S:
Find your Saco-S union | Sveriges akademikers centralorganisation -
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Saco is a co-operation between more than 20 different unions. You need to choose a union, visit there homepage and apply for a membership. Many unions in Saco has agreements on dual membership. That means that you can be a member of two unions for the price of one, or a little more.
Become a member | Sveriges akademikers centralorganisation (saco.se)
And don’t forget about the unemployment fund, this is not included in the union membership!
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Most terms of employment come from the collective agreement (Villkorsavtal-T) that Saco-S and the employer organization Arbetsgivarverket signed. Some of them you find here, if you are a member and don’t find what you need you can contact saco-s@liu.se.
https://liuonline.sharepoint.com/sites/intranet-anstallningsvillkor/SitePages/en/Home.aspx
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As your union organization, we participate in discussions about many different topics regarding the activities at Linköping university. Among these topics you also find equal opportunities, such as discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and victimisation.
Work with equal opportunities (in general) should be discussed in CSG (central co-operation group) and in LSG (local co-operation group), where union representatives, work environment representatives and employer representatives participate. It can include:
- Work conditions
- Salaries and time for research
- Recruitment and promotion
- Education and other skills development
- Possibilities to combine parenthood with work
Co-workers who experience problems can turn to any of the following:
- Their immediate superior or head of department
- HR partner
- Local union representatives
- Health and safety representatives (in Swedish: “Arbetsmiljöombud”, abbreviated “AMO”)
- Equal opportunities coordinator
- Occupational health services
Saco-S has a group of elected union reps that help members in need of individual support. Write to saco-s@liu.se if you want to be contacted by one of them.
The LiU information on equal opportunities (in English)
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Ask you manager to clearly state the reasons for his/her salary proposal. If you still don’t agree, tell your manager that you’d like a four-party discussion. Such a discussion is not a negotiation, but offers the possibility to bring a union representative to improve the discussion. In the end it is the manager that decides the new salary. Contact saco-s@liu.se.
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It is good to prepare your PDD by going though your work duties and if you would like to change anything. What development would you like and how can you get it? Review the material here:
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The 1st of October every year, new salaries start to apply.
The main model for Saco-S members is the salary-setting dialogue. You and your manager discuss what you have done during the last year and your manager propose a new salary. If you agree there will be no union negotiation. If you don’t agree you can proceed to a four-party discussion where you can bring a union representative. As a last step there can be a union negotiation. Read more here:
For doctoral candidates with employment, the salary is not negotiated individually but the union negotiates the salary scale for doctoral candidates. Also, doctoral candidates that are members of a union gets 250 kr extra per month.
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Preferably write to saco-s@liu.se if you have a question or a case. If you want to influence future or current changes at your department, you can talk to the Saco-representatives in the local co-operation group at the department (LSG).
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You need to pay back the sum that is wrong, but not at once. You should talk to your HR representative and agree on a payback plan. If you experience that the university regulates the debt wrongly, contact saco-s@liu.se if you are a member.
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It is always useful to be a member of the union. You can get advice and support in all job-related issues. The union negotiate good working conditions.
If you know that you leave the EU directly after your employment in Sweden ends, you probably don’t need to be a member of the unemployment fund. However, if you are interested in continuing working in Sweden or the EU, it is necessary to be a member of the unemployment fund in order to get unemployment benefit if you don’t get a new job at once. Please note that you have to have a valid permit with the right to stay and work in Sweden, in order to qualify for unemployment benefit. You can have this in several ways, for example by a permanent residence permit, or that you have a partner that works in Sweden. Contact Migrationsverket if you have questions about this.
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When you are ill or on parental leave (also VAB, when you take care of an ill child), you shall report it to your employer and in Primula. Your employment should then be extended by the same time.
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If you have a permanent employment you have the right to be on leave and try another position in the Swedish state, up to two years. This is only if the other position is a fixed-term employment (provanställning/”trial period” included).
You also have the right to be on leave for studies, however the employer can postpone the leave up to 6 months.
If you have a permanent position and want to take another position regulated in Högskoleförordningen (Higher Education Ordinance), for example ‘doktorand’ or ‘biträdande lektor’, you have the right to be on leave during all the time.
There are some other reasons for leave, such as union and political work, and for starting up an own business. Contact us if you want to know more about this.
In other cases, the employer can grant you leave for up to 6 months, but it is no absolute right.
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Here is a link to English information from the HR department:
https://liuonline.sharepoint.com/sites/intranet-anstallningsvillkor/SitePages/en/Home.aspx
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No, you don’t need to do anything. Saco-S have a dialogue with the HR department each year and the extra salary (equal to 250 kr/month) should be paid with the salary in June.
Senast uppdaterad: 2020-06-18