Newsletter November -25
This newsletter provides an update on the ongoing organizational changes at the university, the streamlining of administrative and support services, and current issues related to the education strategy. We also share a brief summary of the Saco-S Association’s annual meeting, the ongoing salary review (RALS 2025), upcoming activities, and our response to the internal consultation on the Research Strategy 2026–2030.
Streamlining of Administrative and Support Services
The university has decided to streamline its administrative and support functions while also reducing overall costs. A review of the organization was therefore carried out and finalized in June. As part of the preparations, employees have been grouped into “redundancy units”, each consisting of staff with largely comparable duties. The number of such units has now been negotiated and settled, and the next step is to determine the order of priority based on total years of state employment.
To do this, the employer has begun contacting staff within the administrative and support organization, requesting information on their employment history within the state. Updated CVs have also been requested as part of the upcoming reassignment assessments.
A separate invitation will soon be sent out for a members’ meeting at 12:15 on December 2, regarding these organizational changes. Our union ombudsman, Michael Svedemar, will explain the procedures surrounding reassignment and redundancy, as well as available transition support for state employees, income insurance and unemployment benefits.
Changes Linked to the Education Strategy
Work with the university’s education strategy has progressed at different speeds across faculties. Some decisions to pause or discontinue programs and courses have already been made, which in some units may lead to a risk of redundancy. However, the overall consequences are still difficult to assess.
The Annual Meeting and the New Board
At the Saco-S Association’s annual meeting on 7 October, held in hybrid format, a new board was elected:
- Chair: Eva Pohl, lecturer, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Kalmar
- Vice Chair: Karina Petersson, lecturer, Department of Social Studies, Växjö
Union ombudsman Michael Svedemar attended the meeting in Växjö and provided updates from the ongoing national agreement negotiations. Minutes from the meeting, as well as a description of the board’s responsibilities, can be found on our website under “Kontakt”:
Salary Review (RALS 2025)
The salary review is currently underway, and the new salaries apply retroactively from 1 October 2025. You should already have received, or will shortly receive, a salary proposal from your manager.
Doctoral candidates and teaching assistants follow the “doctoral ladder” instead of the regular salary process. This agreement expires at the turn of the year 2025/2026. Preparatory work has begun and negotiations on a new agreement are expected to start soon.
In September, the association hosted two webinars on salary-setting—one in Swedish and one in English. Also, the information on salaries on the association’s website has been updated:
Activities This Autumn
Throughout the autumn, several webinars on key union topics have been offered in collaboration with SULF’s national office. In November, we are also planning on-site activities in Kalmar and Växjö under the theme “Current Issues in the Union”. A separate invitation with dates and times will follow.
Research Strategy 2026–2030
Work on the university’s new research strategy is ongoing. The Saco-S Association participated as a consultation body in the internal review. Our response will be available through the link below (in Swedish):
Response to internal consultation – Research Strategy 2026–2030
Other Important Updates
From January 1, a new national agreement will take effect, stating that compensation for “additional time” (mertid) will be aligned with overtime compensation. This may require adjustments to the local working hours agreements for both academic and technical/administrative staff.
In late September, the Saco-S Association took part in training sessions for managers and workload planners on the working-hours agreement for academic staff, held in both Kalmar and Växjö. The aim was to deepen understanding of the agreement and improve the planning process for teaching duties. We hope this will lead to smoother consultations and full-year workload plans in the future.
If you have questions or thoughts regarding union matters at the university, please feel free to contact any member of the board.
Warm regards,
The Board of the Saco-S Association at Linnaeus University
Eva Pohl (Chair) & Karina Petersson (Vice Chair)