Dialogue initiative

The dialogue initiative may come from both the employer and the employee representative. As the realisation of the dialogue is explicitly the employer’s obligation, the employer must take the initiative if the employee representative has not previously taken it.

The dialogue deals with matters related to the work of employees

The dialogue initiative may only concern the topics set out in the Act. The topic must be related, in one way or another, to the employees’ work, working conditions or position. If they wish, the par-ties may also address other topics in the dialogue, but the Act on Co-operation is not applied to this kind of procedure.

On the content of the Initiative

After taking the initiative, the employer must announce the time and place for the meeting in which it is intended to address the topic of the initiative.

Initiative by a empoyee representative

The employer must address the employee representative’s initiative in the next meeting, organised at a minimum once a quarter or twice a year, unless agreed otherwise. If there are many initiatives, the employer may postpone address-ing them to later meetings. If an initiative is presented later than two weeks before the meeting, the employer has in any case the right to postpone addressing it to the next meeting.

Obligation to contribute also applies to the processing of initiatives

The parties’ duty to contribute also covers the addressing of initiatives. The employer must include initiatives in the dialogue appropriately and without undue delay.

Similarly, it is required that the employee representative uses their initiative right appropriately.