Newsletter April 2026
At the beginning of the year, several issues have been on the agenda at the university. Among other things, the university board decided in February to propose to the government to appoint Göran Hilmersson as the new vice-chancellor from October 2026. A research strategy for 2026–2030 has been established, work on the education strategy at the various faculties is underway, and an external investigation into the governance and organization of the university's operational support is being carried out.
During the first half of February, the Saco-S association carried out member activities in Kalmar and Växjö under the heading "Current affairs with the union". There, we raised, among other things, issues about the ongoing streamlining of the operational support as well as work on the education strategy and what consequences these changes may have in terms of increased workload and other work environment-related issues.
In February, the vice-chancellor established the university's research strategy. We understand that several of the views expressed in the Saco-S association's response to the internal referral are also found in the decided strategy. You can read Saco-S's referral response via the link below (in Swedish):
Svar internremiss - forskningsstrategi
The Saco-S association participated in the recruitment process to appoint a new vice-chancellor, partly through an adjunct member of the recruitment group, and partly through a group of union representatives interviewing the candidates in question. The group provided verbal feedback to the chair of the university board and also provided a written statement on the final candidate, Göran Hilmersson, in connection with the MBL negotiation prior to the board meeting in February. You can read the union organizations' statement via the link below (in Swedish):
Utlåtande vid rektorsrekrytering
The RALS 2025 salary revision was completed during the first half of March for Saco-S affiliated members, when a settlement was signed for those members who disagreed with the employer's proposal for a new salary. In addition to the current salaries, the settlement contains an appendix with measures that the parties agree to develop ahead of the upcoming salary revision, as well as another appendix with issues that the Saco-S association believes need to be improved regarding salary setting – where the employer does not share the same opinion. In February, the trade unions signed an agreement with the university on the 2026 salaries for doctoral students and assistants. You can find information about salary issues at the university on the website under the SALARY tab via the link below:
During March, the trade unions met to resume paused work on the local working hours agreement for teachers. The result so far is that we have recently sent a proposal with our views to the employer. Although we agree with the employer that the content should not be changed to any great extent, but rather clarified linguistically, we have stated that formulations such as “can”, “should” and “normally” need to be expressed in a more explicit manner. The most important issues for us, however, concern the application of the agreement, where we see shortcomings in the consultation with the teaches involved, and that many departments do not plan working hours on a calendar year basis, which is also stipulated in the current agreement. The Saco-S association will therefore work to have a joint group appointed (with representatives of the employer and the trade unions) with the aim of managing and developing the agreement. Our view is that the employer supports this.
At the end of March, the Saco-S association held a hybrid member meeting, with the possibility of participating on site in Kalmar or Växjö, or alternatively via Zoom. The meeting discussed; the university's financial situation, issues related to the streamlining of operating support, the work on the education strategy, and the recently initiated investigation into the governance and organization of operating support. The slideshow from the presentation is available via the link below (in Swedish):
Styrning av verksamhetsstöd och utbildningsstrategi
There is currently a central dispute regarding a dismissal due to a shortage of work, which is a consequence of the streamlining of operating support. Saco-S believes that the dismissal has not been made on objective grounds.
Unfortunately, we feel that the financially strained situation and the savings that are being implemented have led to a somewhat tougher climate at the university. Several cases are ongoing where we are trying to support individual members in contact with the employer in various ways.
Please get in touch with any questions or concerns about the union activities at the university!
Warm regards,
The Board of Directors of the Saco-S Association at Linnaeus University
Eva Pohl and Karina Petersson (Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively)