Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees

TCO
Full name Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees
Native name Tjänstemännens Centralorganisation
Founded 1931
Members 1.3 million
Affiliation ITUC, ETUC, NFS
Key people Eva Nordmark, president
Office location Stockholm, Sweden
Country Sweden
Website www.tco.se

The Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees (Swedish: Tjänstemännens Centralorganisation, TCO) is a national trade union centre, the umbrella organisation for eighteen trade unions in Sweden that organise professional and other qualified employees within both the private and the public sectors. The affiliated trade unions gather in total about 1.3 million employees (including students and pensioners). Excluding students and pensioners the TCO unions made up 35% of all Swedish trade union members in 2012 (17% in 1950).[1] The largest TCO affiliate is Unionen (450 000 active members in 2012).

This makes the organization the second biggest of Sweden's three major trade union confederations. The biggest, the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (Landsorganisationen i Sverige or LO), mainly organize "blue collar" workers, and has links to the Swedish Social Democratic Party. By contrast, the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees has no connections to any political party in Sweden.

The current president is Eva Nordmark, who took office in May 2011. She is a former president of the Swedish Union of Local Government Officers ("SKTF").

The Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees traces its origins back to the Confederation of Employees (De Anställdas Centralorganisation or DACO) founded in 1931. An organization for public sector employees called the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees was founded in 1937. The two organizations merged into one in 1944, taking the name of the latter. After World War II membership in the affiliated unions rose rapidly, from 100 000 in 1944 to more than half a million in the mid sixties.

Swedish unions have traditionally had a high organisation rate. Today about 73% of "white collar" workers (and 67% of "blue-collar" workers) are members of a trade union, setting Sweden apart from most European countries, where "blue collar" workers have been the main target for unionization.[2]

TCO Labeling

TCO Development, a company owned by TCO, maintains an international environmental labeling system, TCO Certification. The label addresses safety issues such as "emissions, ergonomics, ecology, and energy" for computers, monitors and printers, as well as cell phones and furniture.

TCO claims that 50% of displays worldwide are labeled with the TCO label.

Affiliates

  1. Association of Forestal and Agricultural Employees (Skogs- och Lantbrukstjänstemannaförbundet)
  2. Association of Health Professionals (Vårdförbundet)
  3. Federation of Professional Musicians (Sveriges Yrkesmusikers Förbund or SYMF) SYMF (official site)
  4. TCO Development (TCO Development) TCO Development (official site)
  5. Teachers' Union (Lärarförbundet)
  6. Union for Theatre, Artists and Media (Teaterförbundet)
  7. Union of Chemist's Employees (Farmaciförbundet)
  8. Union of Civil Servants (ST, formerly known as Statstjänstemannaförbundet)
  9. Union of Civilian Employees in the Defence Forces (Försvarets Civila Tjänstemannaförbund)
  10. The Union (Unionen, merge of Svenska Industritjänstemannaförbundet (SIF) and Tjänstemannaförbundet (HTF) in 2008)
  11. Union of Customs and Coast Guard Officers (TULL-KUST)
  12. Financial Sector Union (Finansförbundet)
  13. Union of Insurance Employees (Försäkringstjänstemannaförbundet)
  14. Union of Journalists (Journalistförbundet)
  15. Union of Local Government Officers (SKTF, formerly known as Sveriges Kommunaltjänstemannaförbund)
  16. Union of People's High School Teachers (Svenska Folkhögskolans Lärarförbund)
  17. Union of Scientists and Researchers (Doktoranders och Forskares Förbund)
  18. Swedish Police Union (Polisförbundet)

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Anders Kjellberg Union density and specialist/professional unions in Sweden, Lund University: Studies in Social Policy, Industrial Relations, Working Life and Mobility. Research Reports 2013:2, p. 8
  2. ↑ Yearly average in 2012. See Anders Kjellberg Kollektivavtalens täckningsgrad samt organisationsgraden hos arbetsgivarförbund och fackförbund, Department of Sociology, Lund University. Studies in Social Policy, Industrial Relations, Working Life and Mobility. Research Reports 2013:1, Appendix 3 Tables A and C

See also

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