Trade Union Leave – The Shop Steward Act FML Sections 6–7 | Word/PDF/Excel

Trade union leave and paid trade union time under the Trade Union Representative Act – professional document package for employers, HR, and local employee organisations. Plan and document notification of trade union duties, requests for leave, consultations with the employer, assessment of compensation, and time reporting. Editable Word files, searchable PDF versions, and an Excel workbook with nine tabs.

All documents and templates in the package

Trade union leave under Section 6 of the Trade Union Representative Act

The Trade Union Representative Act (1974:358) applies to persons appointed by an employee organisation to represent employees at a workplace, whose duties the organisation has notified the employer of under Section 1. The definition of an employee organisation and any permitted deviations from collective agreements must be checked.

Section 6 entitles a trade union representative to the leave necessary for their trade union duties. The extent of the leave must be reasonable in view of the workplace, and its location must not cause significant disruption to the proper conduct of work. The extent and location are determined after consultation between the employer and the local employee organisation. Therefore, the form does not constitute an automatic approval or rejection.

When does paid trade union leave apply under Section 7?

Section 7 entitles a trade union representative to retain their employment benefits when taking leave for trade union activities concerning their own workplace. If the employer requires such activities to take place outside regular working hours, compensation and certain additional costs may be payable under the terms of the Act. Therefore, not all trade union leave is automatically paid. Other trade union duties and contractual benefits must be assessed separately.

How employers and trade union organisations use the templates

1. Notify the employer. The organisation documents who has been appointed, the nature of the duties, and the workplace concerned under Section 1.
2. State the actual request for leave. Record trade union activity, times, estimated extent, and workplace connection.
3. Conduct a consultation. The employer and the local employee organisation discuss Section 6, staffing, and possible times. Document the actual outcome in minutes.
4. Assess pay and benefits separately. Check the activity's connection to the representative's own workplace, Section 7, and collective agreements. Write a factual, dated notice.
5. Follow up on hours and deviations. Use the Word log or Excel workbook. Retain records in accordance with the employer's GDPR and access procedures.

Excel register for trade union leave – nine tabs

The workbook contains Overview, Duties, Requests, Consultations, Decisions, Time Log, Costs, Actions, and Read Me. Seven registers each contain 100 blank rows, clear columns, and relevant status lists. The administrative overview calculates actual case IDs and totals agreed hours, actually recorded hours, and stated costs. The time log shows the difference between agreed and recorded time in hours.

Limitation: Excel does not automatically assess reasonableness, conduct a legal pay review, calculate pay under collective agreements, or assess the trade union's right of interpretation. The customer file contains no personal data or test values.

Protection under the Trade Union Representative Act and collective agreements

In addition to Sections 6–7, Sections 3–5 on obstacles to duties and protection of terms of employment may be relevant. Section 8 contains special rules for cases of shortage of work; Section 9 gives the local employee organisation the right of interpretation in certain disputes, subject to statutory limitations. Under Section 2, permitted deviations from collective agreements may apply to Section 1 and Sections 5–7, among others. The templates therefore never replace a check of the actual collective agreement or a concrete legal assessment.

Frequently asked questions

Is a trade union representative entitled to leave?

Under Section 6, a trade union representative is entitled to necessary trade union leave of a reasonable extent. Its location must not cause significant disruption to the workplace's operations and must be addressed in a consultation between the employer and the local employee organisation.

Is trade union leave always paid?

No. Under Section 7, a trade union representative is entitled to retain their employment benefits when taking leave for trade union activities concerning their own workplace. Agreements and other circumstances may grant different rights.

Must the trade union representative be registered with the employer?

Yes, Section 1 of the Trade Union Representative Act requires the employee organisation to notify the employer of the trade union duties for the Act to apply.

Who determines the extent and location of the leave?

Under Section 6, this is determined after consultation between the employer and the local employee organisation. A single form field does not decide the matter.

Can the employer always refuse leave if there is a lot of work?

No. The Act requires a reasonableness assessment in view of the workplace's circumstances and prohibits location that causes significant disruption to the proper conduct of work. In case of disagreement, special rules on the trade union's right of interpretation under Section 9 may apply.

Does the package apply to state employers?

Yes, as administrative basic material under Swedish law, but state trade union representatives and terms-of-employment agreements must be checked separately. State agreement rules do not automatically apply to private or municipal employers.

Have the documents been legally reviewed?

The statutory text and official guidance have been checked with AI assistance on 2 November 2026. No independent external legal review has been documented.

Legal sources and delivery

Swedish Parliament – Trade Union Representative Act (1974:358), especially Sections 1, 2, 6, 7, and 9. Swedish Trade Union Agency – Trade Union Representative. Version 1.0 · 2026-11-02 · Jurisdiction: Sweden. The ZIP file will be available for digital download only after the product owner has manually linked the file in Shopify Digital Products, tested the download, and published the draft.