Swedish Union of Clerical and Technical Employees in Industry
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| Swedish Union of Clerical and Technical Employees in Industry | |
| Svenska Industritjänstemannaförbundet | |
| Founded | 1920 |
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| Members | 360,000 |
| Country | Sweden |
| Affiliation | TCO, UNI |
| Office location | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Website | www.sif.se |
The Swedish Union of Clerical and Technical Employees in Industry (Sif, formerly Svenska Industritjänstemannaförbundet) is the largest trade union for white-collar workers in Sweden.
Founded in 1920, today, it states its primary goal as being "to guarantee a good working life for its members". A main priority is taking part in the collective bargaining process. Workplace health and safety issues, competence and career issues are other major concerns. The organization also plays an active part lobbying politicians in the interest of its members.
The 360 000 members work in the private sector, in companies that operate in areas including IT, telecom, construction, manufacturing and research and development. A small number is self-employed. Membership is also open to students. Around 40 percent of the members are women, as is the current President, Mari-Ann Krantz.
The organization is not only one of the largest labour union in Sweden, it is also one of the wealthiest. It has funds worth several hundred million dollars, allowing the union to set aside substantial money for large ad campaigns with the object of recruiting new members.
The organization has 22 Regional Divisions with 25 local offices around Sweden and approximately 2.700 local union branches in the workplaces. About half the members do not belong to a local branch but can turn to a workplace representative acting as a point of contact and a channel for information.
The highest decision-making body is the Congress, held every four years. It consists of 180 elected representatives from the workplaces. The Congress elects the 11 representatives of the Sif Executive.
The Swedish Union of Clerical and Technical Employees in Industry maintains independence from party politics. The organization is an affiliate of the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees. It is also a member of several international industrial federations, such as Union Network International, a federation of unions in the IT, telecom, media & entertainment and graphics sector.
