Tidö Agreement can be an obstacle for foreign reasearchers

It is good that science and research should continue to be free from political control, Naturvetarna thinks. But the base grants should be increased, and more funds should be directed to priority areas. The natural scientists also want free research funds to be guaranteed.

The conditions for labor immigration are tightened through, among other things, higher income requirements. This can affect PhD students and highly qualified workers as the average monthly salary for PhD students in Sweden is just over SEK 30,000, Naturvetarna means. Requirements for knowledge of Swedish and social orientation can also make it more difficult to attract talent to Sweden.

The appropriations for environmental monitoring will be reduced by 27 percent until 2025 and will then amount to SEK 379 million.

The budget for the entire expenditure area 20, where large parts of the environmental budget are located, is cut from 23.75 billion this year to 19.55 billion in 2023.

Chance for higher salary next year

Naturvetarna has drawn up a direction for what they want in the agreement movement in 2023.

– The job market for natural scientists is good, among other things as a result of the fact that natural scientists have important roles when the global sustainability goals are to be achieved. It is a good prerequisite for higher wages and better conditions, says Naturvetarna’s head of negotiations Madeleine Warghusen.

But at the same time she raises a warning finger that not everyone can be compensated for the high inflation.

– We do not want to contribute to fueling inflation. No one wins from that. However, it is important that the salary reflects the value that natural scientists contribute. It should pay to take on greater responsibility and new tasks. Good performance must be reflected in the salary envelope, says Madeleine Warghusen.