Swedish labour market model and collective agreements
The Swedish labour market model means that the labour market parties (social partners) have primary responsibility for regulating wages and other terms of employment. The model requires high level of trade union membership. Over 80 % of the Swedish doctors are members at the The Swedish Medical Association (SMA).
The SMA negotiates collective agreements covering areas such as salary policies, pensions, general employment conditions, holidays, sick and parental leave. SMA has collective agreements with the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, SALAR and with the Associations of Private and Cooperative Care Providers.
Employment contract and conditions
When you have reached an agreement with the employer about important terms and conditions for you employment (see below), you are considered officially employed. To avoid any ambiguities about what the position entails, the contract should be in writing. You must not accept a position before your salary has been negotiated or commence work before the employment conditions have been established.
The employment contract normally covers employment conditions such as work obligations, working hours, holidays, sick leave, insurance and pension benefits and even emergency standby and on-call compensation. These conditions are often governed by a collective agreement and may be formulated slightly differently by different employers. Nevertheless, they should be stated clearly in your employment contract.
As a member of the SMA, you are welcome to contact us for support if you wish to discuss your salary and other employment conditions, or are having problems with your job or your contract.
Your salary
Your salary will primarily be set in negotiations between you and the person in charge of salaries, and it is based on your position, responsibilities, competence, background and the current market situation. The salary is set individually and it is differentiated in comparison to other doctors. It is particularly important to negotiate your salary whenever you start a new job or change jobs. The SMA and the local medical associations have a advisory function for their members providing help with local salary statistics. There is an annual local salary review by the local medical associations together with the local employer. Therefore, we advise you to contact your local medical association before negotiating your salary.