The Saco-S Council at Lund University
We are the negotiating organisation for around 5,000 Saco members at Lund University. Regardless of which of the 18 member associations you belong to, you will receive the same assistance from us. The level of unionisation is high at Lund University, our members care about the organisation and so does Saco-S.
Our role and assignment
Saco-S at Lund University believes that our most important role is to help the employer make wise decisions, whether it concerns our members' working conditions or the quality of the organisation's activities. We share Lund University's view that collegial governance is fundamental to our institution.
Collegial review and transparency
The preamble to the rules of procedure states that the success of the organisation is closely linked to the tradition of collegial review as the quality-driving principle in academic education/training/programmes. Saco-S believes that this also applies to personnel policy, and therefore, our members will be able to access our analyses, minutes, negotiation proposals, and the employer's decisions here.
A good personnel policy at Lund University must be able to withstand peer review.
Saco-S as a negotiating partner
Lund University is one of the largest Swedish public authorities. Trade union members who belong to a Saco-S union constitute a clear majority at Lund University, with more than 4,300 members. This makes the Saco-S Council a strong negotiating partner for our members. Virtually all 21 trade and professional unions for academics within Saco have members at the university. The five largest Saco-S unions at the university are Swedish University Teachers and Researchers (SULF), Swedish Engineers (SI), Naturvetarna (Na), Akavia, and DIK.
Representation in the Saco-S Council
The Saco-S Council includes representatives from all associations that have members employed at Lund University. The number of members each association has on the council depends on the number of members at the university.
The work of the board
Each year, the Saco-S Council elects a working board that meets regularly. The board, together with co-opted members, meets every week to discuss and plan the negotiation work. The board is elected at the Saco-S Council's annual meeting, which takes place in May. The board should reflect the composition of the Saco-S Council, which usually means that the largest unions are represented. The board consists of nine members and two deputies.
Negotiations and assignments
The Saco-S Council board and those who work at the Saco faculty office represent all Saco-S-affiliated staff in negotiations and consultations with the employer. Regardless of department or faculty, we can represent all employed members at Lund University. Negotiations can be individual, local, or university-wide.
They may concern specific issues for individual members, such as salary setting or dismissal, or issues of a more general nature, such as budget or organisational decisions.
Collective agreements and external collaboration
Negotiations may also aim to reach a collective agreement, such as working time agreements and comprehensive agreements on work environment issues. The most common negotiations are cooperation negotiations, where the employer makes decisions after MBL negotiations. These may include, for example, the annual resource allocation negotiations with faculty management. All organisational changes or major changes in daily operations must be negotiated in accordance with the MBL before a decision is made.