En arbetsmarknad i förändring : En marxistisk analys av europeiseringen av arbetspolitiken

The process of European integration affects different areas of the European structure differently, where some areas are more integrated than others. Sometimes, it can be difficult to find a balance between how the EU functions and the existing structures within the Member States. The Swedish labour market has been largely independent throughout the 20th century, something that has gone through some changes since Sweden’s accession into the EU. This study aims to examine what laws are made in relation to labour law since Sweden’s accession into the EU, and then examine the results through a Marxist perspective. The study is a comparative one, conducted through comparing tree different years, 1995 – the year Sweden joined the EU, 2006, and 2019, in order to properly view the progression of the integration of labour law at the European level, as well as examining the impact the Amsterdam and Lisbon Treaties and the support for legislation through the treaties has had on legislation. The study found that there has been a trend toward further integration, helped in part by the introduction of the European employment strategy in 1997 which outlined guidelines to, among other things, increase employment and protections of workers. The Marxist analysis found that the EU is an example of how the capitalist system expands through larger territories and movement of decision-making benefits European elites in the long run. Integration is integral to the survival of capitalism, therefore it is of interest to those who benefit from capitalism to keep this trend up, so they can stay in power and continue making decisions that benefit them.