Swedish and Danish agricultural workers propose stricter rules for European-level bargaining

In August 1997, the Swedish and Danish trade unions for agricultural workers moved a joint resolution to the congress of the European Federation of Agricultural Workers' Trade Unions, proposing internal rules for future bargaining on agreements like the recent European framework agreement on the improvement of paid employment in the sector.

As a consequence of the conclusion in June 1997 of the European framework agreement on the improvement of paid employment in agriculture (EU9707141N), the Swedish Agricultural Workers' Union (Svenska Lantarbetareförbundet), together with its Danish counterpart, the Danish General Workers' Union (Specialarbejderforbundet i Danmark) on 18 August 1997 moved a resolution to the congress of the European Federation of Agricultural Workers' Trade Unions (EFA). The experiences of the bargaining process have led Steen Andersen at the General Workers' Union and Lars-Erik Hellberg at the Swedish Agricultural Workers' Union to the conclusion that the EFA must adopt internal rules for the bargaining procedure. At present there are no such rules. In their resolution to the EFA congress, the two unions propose that in the future, negotiators should be designated by voting among all affiliated unions. The statutes must also grant the representatives of the national unions an opportunity to consult their members concerning the result of bargaining before the signing of an agreement.

Both unions are satisfied with the June agreement though, not so much because of its material contents as the fact that the employers, represented by the Employers' Group of the Committee of Agricultural Organisations in the European Union (GEOPA/COPA), all agreed to come to the negotiating table and conclude an agreement.

For Denmark, Mr Andersen hopes that the European agreement will make the employers in agriculture give up their unwillingness to conclude collective agreements for their workers. Contrary to Nordic traditions, only a small share of Danish agricultural workers are covered by such agreements. "But now that they have signed the framework agreement, which recommends the organisations in the Member States to develop collective bargaining, they cannot reasonably go on offering the same resistance as before", Steen Andersen says.

The same problem does not exist in Sweden, where the majority of workers are covered, but Mr Hellberg still thinks that the framework agreement is important, as it marks the beginning of a new era where European sectoral agreements are a reality.

The EFA congress will take place in Vienna in November 1997.