The main part of the 21 redundancies work in teaching roles, and a few are employed at the university library. Only one out of five departments will avoid redundancies. The majority of layoffs will impact staff in the field of engineering, says Angelica Lindlöf, chair of Saco-S at the University of Skövde.
“It’s obviously difficult to lose colleagues and team members. A lot of people are affected, and it’s not easy when they begin receiving their termination notices. People still had hope”.
The financial deficit became clear at the end of last year. In February the university announced that 25 employees could lose their jobs. After negotiations between the employer and the local union organisations, this was reduced to 21 people.
The redundancies are going ahead despite the union and the employer not reaching an agreement. The union has criticised how the redundancy selection groups were created. According to the negotiation records, the union believes these groups violate both Swedish employment protection law (LAS) and the agreement on layoff procedures for state employees (TurA-S).
“We interpret the law differently. The employer believes that LAS allows them to retain staff who meet the necessary qualifications to continue operations. This means that people with longer service are being dismissed in favour of those with shorter service, which we couldn’t accept,” says Angelica Lindlöf.
Angelica Lindlöf
Chair of Saco-S, University of Skövde
The union also argues that people with similar roles, qualifications, and terms of employment haven’t been treated equally within the groups. According to the records, Saco-S also disagrees with the reassignment investigations.
Nils Svensson, head of HR at the university, declines to comment on the disagreement.
“We simply had different views. We reached an agreement with one union, but not the other. We tried to find common ground,” he says.
Despite the disagreement, Svensson says the negotiations were conducted in a good spirit. He also states that the university have done all it can to avoid layoffs, but the financial situation of recent years left no other option.
“This is a financial redundancy—not because there’s not enough work to do. It’s about not having the funds to cover our costs,” he says.
Mikael Brisslert, a national officer at SULF, regrets that 21 people are being let go. He’s also concerned about how this will affect those who remain.
“The employer must manage the stress and uncertainty this will cause. Losing 21 staff is a lot, and their work will have to be shared among those still employed,” he says.
Nils Svensson
Head of HR, University of Skövde
According to Nils Svensson, each part of the organisation has prepared for the impact through operational reviews.
“I feel confident that the reviews have been thorough,” he says.
“We’ve also conducted a risk analysis together with safety representatives to prepare for the consequences of this transition.”
The university expects its finances to be balanced by 2026, even though there will be a deficit this year, according to Svensson.
Mikael Brisslert
National officer, SULF
Although the university is moving forward with the layoffs despite the unresolved negotiations, SULF may choose to challenge some of the cases. Several members in Skövde have contacted the union to question their dismissal, says Mikael Brisslert.
“We’ll now look at these from a legal perspective to see if we have a case.”
