Salary review 

Content on this page: 

• Overhaul of salaries
• Negotiations
• Those covered by the salary review
• Salary setting based on performance and results
• Staff appraisal and individual planning
• Continuous follow-up of staff appraisals
• Specific follow-up discussion before salary review
• New salary
  • For members in Saco-S
  • For members in OFR/S or Seko
  • For employees who are not members of any of the university's contractual employee organisations
  • For doctoral students
• The salary review process at Lund University
• Agreement dates for the last salary review For you who need to report information on changes in income to the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan). Försäkringskassan may need information about the agreement dates after the last salary review in order to establish your sickness benefit qualifying income (SGI). 

Overhaul of salaries

A salary review is an overhaul of salaries. As an employer bound by collective agreements, Lund University has an obligation to conduct recurrent salary reviews. Salary reviews are usually carried out once a year.

Negotiations 

The salary review begins with a university-wide negotiation between the university's negotiating HR specialist in the HR Division and representatives of the employee organisations.

The starting point for the negotiations is based on overall decisions, guidelines and policies from the university's management, but also on views from the various faculties. This is weighed against the views and demands of the employee organisations.

The negotiations result in local agreements, which are called negotiation regulations, where the agreement period, time for salary review, special initiatives, etc. are established. Usually the review is done annually.

Those covered by the salary review

• Anyone employed on the day before, and on the salary review date, is covered by the salary review.
• Employees who are on parental leave or sick leave at the time of the salary review.
• Should there be no assessable performance due to the absence, these employees will be assumed to have performed as in previous years and the new salary will therefore be based on the last known performance and results. 

These are not covered by the salary review

• Employees on full-time leave for an extended period. For these employees, a salary review will be carried out in connection with their return to work.
• Intermittent employees
• Student employees.

Salary setting based on performance and results 

During the salary review, your manager will make an overall assessment based on 

• the performance and results you have shown during the financial year, based on what you and your manager have agreed on in the performance appraisal,
• the university's salary policy,
• the economic conditions communicated by the university management for the current salary review.

Since salary setting is largely based on the performance and results you as an employee show during the financial year, it is in your daily work that you have the greatest opportunity to influence your salary.

Staff appraisal and individual planning

Once a year you and your manager must have a staff appraisal. It is mandatory, according to a decision of the head of administration. Your manager must call this meeting in good time. 

During the staff appraisal , you and your manager should jointly draw up an individual plan that sets out what is expected of each party and what you as an employee can do to influence your salary.

Read more about staff appraisals

Continuous follow-up of staff appraisals 

Your manager and you must continuously follow up on what you have agreed in the staff appraisal through an ongoing dialogue.

The focus should be on the content of the work, goal fulfilment based on the appraisal and how well the work is performed. The views of both parties should be aired.

Specific follow-up discussion before the salary review 

Before the salary review, your manager should offer you a specific follow-up discussion about your performance and results for the year. During this discussion, you have the opportunity to demonstrate your performance and how you have carried out your tasks.

New salary 

Members of Saco-S 

Salary-setting appraisal 

If you are a member of Saco-S, the salary review takes place through a salary-setting appraisal between you and your manager. In the salary-setting appraisal, your manager determines, announces and justifies your new salary. 

The salary setting appraisal is mandatory to attend. 

Digital salary agreement

After completing the salary setting appraisal, you will receive a digital salary agreement from your manager, in Primula. It vill be visible under Your page under the heading Salary agreement. The salary agreement contains information about the new full-time salary and when it applies from.

You must respond to the salary agreement by clicking "Approve" or "Disagree". You must provide a comment/explanation in order for the "Disagree" response to be sent. If you indicate that you do not agree with the salary setting, an enhanced dialogue will be organised with your manager, a representative of Saco-S and HR.

Saco members must respond to the salary agreement in Primula by 19 December 2024. If the agreement is not answered, it is considered approved.

Enhanced dialogue

Enhanced dialogue means that you and your manager meet again together with a representative of Saco-S and HR.

The aim is to reach a consensus on the process and, if necessary, to help the parties, manager and employee, to a better dialogue.

The aim is not to change the salary announced by the salary-setting manager. Therefore, an enhanced dialogue is guided by the parties' desire for a better dialogue and should not be used as an attempt to influence salary setting.

Members of OFR/S and Seko 

Collective negotiations between the employer and the employee organisation

If you are a member of OFR/S or Seko, salary revision takes place through collective negotiations between the employer and the respective employee organisation, in which each individual member's new salary is negotiated. 

Salary appraisal 

When the negotiations are complete, you will be offered a salary appraisal in which your manager announces and justifies your new salary.  

Employees who are not organised 

Salary-setting appraisal

If you are not a member of any of the university's contractual employee organisations (Saco-S, OFR/S or Seko), your manager decides on your new salary and conducts a dialogue with you about salary setting, in a salary-setting appraisal.    

The salary setting appraisal is mandatory to attend. 

Doctoral students 

Local agreements on salary setting for doctoral students

Doctoral students' salary increase is handled in a separate track, according to the principles of local agreements on salary setting for doctoral students.

For employed doctoral students who started their doctoral studies before 1 August 2023, this agreement applies:

Local agreement on salary setting for doctoral students (Dnr F85 4974/2006).

For employed doctoral students who started their doctoral studies on 1 August 2023 or later, this agreement applies: 

Local collective agreement on salary setting for doctoral students (PDF 291 kB, new tab)

The salary review process at Lund University

Description of the salary review process, in text:

Before the salary review 

The following three steps concern all employees at the university, regardless of which employee organisation you are a member of (or if you are not a member of any of the employee organisations with which Lund University has a collective agreement). 

Step 1:

• Staff appraisals – forward-looking discussions about assignments, goals and competence development. 

Step 2:

• Ongoing dialogue and follow-up of what the manager and employee have agreed on during the performance review.

Step 3:

• Specific follow-up discussion prior to salary review.

During the salary review

Step 1:

• Collective negotiations between faculties and OFR/S and Seko, regarding individual salaries for members.
• Salary-setting appraials between manager and employees who are members of Saco-S. The manager announces and justifies the salary setting.
• Manager sets salary and informs employee who is unorganised (i.e. not a member of any of the employee organisations with which Lund University has a collective agreement).

Step 2:

• Salary appraisal between manager and employee in OFR/S and Seko, after the negotiations are completed. The manager announces and justifies the salary setting.
• Possibly reinforced dialogue between manager, employee, representatives of Saco-S and HR, if there is disagreement after the salary setting dialogue.

Agreement dates for salary review