December: News from Ingenjören in English
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These are the salaries för regional administrative managers
Ingenjören has requested salary information for managers that are heads at departments where engineers work in Sweden’s 21 regions. These include managers in real estate, IT, digitalization and public transport, but also in hospitals where there are medical technology engineers.
The study shows that there are large differences between the regions’ administrative managers. Monthly salaries varies between 62,000 and 235,000 SEK.
For real estate managers, the salary difference is just over 117,000 SEK between Stockholm and Västernorrland. For IT managers, the salary difference between Östergötland and Västernorrland is just over 38,000 SEK per month.
The highest salaries are in Stockholm. Across the country, it is hospital directors who earn the most. The highest salary is held by Christophe Pedroletti, head of Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm.
In the survey, Ingenjören has divided the regions based on population. Here are the best-paid administrative managers within each group (excluding hospital directors):
- Karin Svingby, administrative director for traffic and society in Uppsala, 135,000 kronor per month.
- Helena Söderqvist, head of regional service staff in Sörmland, 128,500 kronor per month.
- Petter Arneback, administrative director for regional development (public transport) in Örebro, 119,600 kronor per month.
- Patric Ramberg, technical director in Gotland, 104,545 kronor per month.
The survey also shows that few administrative managers are engineers. Of the 69 operational managers in the regions, 13 state in their Linkedin profile that they have a master’s degree in engineering.
Of the administrative managers responsible for digitalization and/or IT, only one states a master’s degree in engineering in their LinkedIn profile, one is a systems scientist and one has studied IT management.
Read the entire article in Swedish: Så mycket tjänar regionernas förvaltningschefer
Engineers are being replaced with consultants
It has become increasingly common for municipalities to outsource tasks to external consultants. This can involve pure outsourcing of operations as well as consulting services within IT, administration and project management.
Now, elected officials warn of the risks when hired consultants take over tasks that were previously performed by civil servants. Less influence, less transparency in the decision-making process and the risk of loss of competence are some of the things that are worrying.
Ingenjören has spoken to two engineers who work in a municipality where, in connection with a major reorganization, large parts of the operations were replaced with consultants. Here, civil servants, project managers and also managers in areas such as construction, property, land and development have been replaced by consultants.
– It has been terrible. People have resigned and looked for new jobs. But some have also been more or less forced to quit, says one of the engineers.
Oskar Falk, head of public sector at Engineers of Sweden, says that they have seen how members can be affected when municipalities choose to outsource work to consultants.
Work tasks disappear, which has a direct effect on the content of the work. Many feel that the work becomes less responsible and not as fun – and are also worried that they will be laid off due to a lack of work.
And there are more consequences. Entire or parts of the working groups may need to be reorganized which leads to changes in the management.
When work is outsourced outside the organization, it also becomes more difficult to follow up and have control over costs, conflicts of interest and that procurement rules are followed – especially when hiring consulting brokers who in turn hire their own consultants.
Oskar Falk’s advice to others who find themselves in this situation is to produce proper risk and consequence analyses where you can nuance the picture.
Read the entire article in Swedish: Tjänstemän ersätts med konsulter
Background checks, drug tests and surveillance – How far can the employer go?
What rights does the employer have to check on you as an employee? The lawyers at Engineers of Sweden clarify what the rules look like.
When it comes to background checks, there are differences between the private and public sectors:
In public sector, the employer must have explicit legal support to conduct background checks. For government services, an employment decision may only be based on merit and skill, which means an obstacle to weighing in other things that may come up during a background check.
In the private sector, the employer may conduct background checks when it comes to investigating whether what is stated in the CV is correct, for example by taking references, skills tests or personality tests. But they must have a legitimate purpose that outweigh the individual’s right to privacy.
When it comes to alcohol and drug tests there is no general legislation. In the private sector, the employer can order an employee to undergo drug and alcohol tests, when there are good reasons that outweigh the employee’s right to privacy.
In the public sector, the state can not force its citizens to undergo physical interventions, such as drug tests. However, in the Public Employment Act there is a section that deals with the employer’s ability to perform periodic health examinations, which does, however, open for drug tests in specific cases.
When it comes to digital monitoring (for example, via computer, mobile phones, GPS tracking or camera surveillance), there is no major difference between the private and public sectors. Computers and mobile phones are the employer’s tools and they have the right to check that their rules are being followed. The employer may monitor if, for example, they suspect that the employee is not doing their job, cheating on time reporting or if they have received customer complaints.
There are no requirements for permits for camera surveillance in places where the public does not have access, such as offices. However, there must be a legitimate purpose that outweighs privacy, such as guarding the office against theft, or from a security perspective.
Regardless of whether it concerns background checks, drug tests or surveillance, the employer must:
- Inform employees. As an employee, you should know that the employer can, for example, conduct background checks, perform drug tests or access the emails you send from your work phone.
- Choose the least privacy-restrictive option. For drug tests, for example, a urine sample is less privacy-sensitive than a blood sample. If you must have camera surveillance, an image may be enough, no sound.
- Make sure it is clear what applies. What checks can be made? How should they be carried out? Who is covered and how should the information be handled and stored? Therefore, it is good if there is a policy, even if it is not a requirement.
What can I do if I think the employer has violated my privacy?
– Contact your local union or contact us centrally and tell us what happened and how you feel that your privacy has been violated. Has the GDPR been violated? Then there may be reason to pursue it further, says Heléne Robson.
Read the entire article in Swedish: Bakgrundskontroller, drogtester och övervakning – Vad får arbetsgivaren göra?
Almost complete agreement on open trade when world unions met
In November, the world union for industry – Industri All – held a congress in Australia. 900 participants from 140 countries attended, including Engineers of Sweden.
At the congress, major events in the world were discussed, such as conflicts, trade wars and technological developments.
Industri All supports open trade relations, but of course with respect for employees’ rights. And there is a large audience for that, except from the USA, says Magnus Kjellsson, international secretary at Engineers of Sweden.
– Many American trade unionists place a certain hope in tariffs and trade restrictions and hope that it will provide more jobs. Not least in the rust belt.
Ulrika Lindstrand, chair of Engineers of Sweden, gave a speech and addressed the importance of organizing white-collar workers in general and engineers in particular to be part of a union. In many countries, it is mostly blue-collar professions that organize themselves into unions.
Ulrika Lindstrand also highlighted the need for the union movement, and employees, to have influence and participation in the implementation of AI in processes in workplaces. She also highlighted the importance of protecting the right to organize into unions – which is far from self-evident in large parts of the world.
Magnus Kjellsson says that the union movement can be a positive force when democracy and human rights are questioned.
– In Sweden, we see the union movement as a matter of course, but in many countries, the unions are the only democratic institution left, where representatives are elected. That makes them vulnerable. But they have a major role for democracy.
Read the entire article in Swedish: Nästan full enighet om öppen handel när världsfack möttes
Dismissed? You can still get your job back
If you have been dismissed due to a lack of work, there is a possibility of getting your job back when the wheels start turning again. But it is important to keep track of the rules and act in a timely manner, explains Jenny Rosenbaum, union lawyer at Sveriges Ingenjörer.
The right of priority is something regulated in LAS, the Employment Protection Act. This means that the person who has been dismissed is first in line when the employer can start hiring again. This can also apply to companies that have gone bankrupt, but are starting up with a new employer.
– If the company can hire again, it may mean that you have priority for the new positions. But it is not certain that you will be offered the same position or salary. You are also not guaranteed the same conditions as before, says Jenny Rosenbaum.
What happens if I say no?
– If you say no, you have used up your right to priority for other positions that become available in the future, explains Jenny Rosenbaum.
What happens if several people have expressed interest in being rehired?
– In that case, the same priority rules apply as in the case of dismissal, that is, the person with the longest employment period is first in line.
To be able to exercise your right to priority, remember to:
- Register your interest in being rehired, preferably in writing.
- Update your CV and keep an eye on new positions that become available.
Read more: Sveriges Ingenjörer: Varsel eller uppsägning från arbetsgivarens sida
Read the entire article in Swedish: Uppsagd? Då kan du få tillbaka jobbet
More to read in English
All articles in Ingenjören that have been translated into English
The guide from Ingenjören in English (magazine from 2024) – About Engineers of Sweden and the Swedish labour market model
Information in English from Engineers of Sweden (including button for Google Translate-version of the entire Engineers of Sweden website)
