Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Våldsbrott på fritiden - Anställningsskydd vid uppsägning av personliga skäl till följd av brottslighet

Frank, Erica LU (2024) LAGF03 20242
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract
This essay analyzes the Employment Protection Act's provisions on dismissal for personal reasons, particularly regarding employees convicted of violent crimes unrelated to their jobs. I examine the Labour Court's assessments, fo-cusing on the employee's duty of loyalty and the court's balancing of interests. The essay includes a critical perspective regarding the legislation's impact on workers' rights.

Since 2022, valid reasons (sakliga skäl) for termination are required under the Employment Protection Act (7 §). The meaning of valid reasons is not defined in the legislation but outlined in the legislative preparatory works and devel-oped through the Swedish Labor Court case law. However, the lack of explic-it legal regulation and... (More)
This essay analyzes the Employment Protection Act's provisions on dismissal for personal reasons, particularly regarding employees convicted of violent crimes unrelated to their jobs. I examine the Labour Court's assessments, fo-cusing on the employee's duty of loyalty and the court's balancing of interests. The essay includes a critical perspective regarding the legislation's impact on workers' rights.

Since 2022, valid reasons (sakliga skäl) for termination are required under the Employment Protection Act (7 §). The meaning of valid reasons is not defined in the legislation but outlined in the legislative preparatory works and devel-oped through the Swedish Labor Court case law. However, the lack of explic-it legal regulation and clarifying practice has resulted in uncertainty about the employees' obligations during their leisure time.
The analysis of the Labour Court's assessments reveals that violent crimes unrelated to the job have justified lawful dismissal. The trust of the employer and balancing interests in general, but in particular the consideration of the employee's future position in the labor market, has been important for the court's assessment of whether the dismissal was objectively justified.

The essay argues that the shift to valid reasons has fostered a more employer-friendly environment, as the employee’s personal factors are no longer con-sidered to the same extent as before. This change has increased employers' ability to dismiss employees for off-duty conduct, with courts adopting a more restrictive stance and disregarding mitigating circumstances. Conse-quently, the legal landscape now weakens employment protections against dismissals related to off-duty criminality, placing employees in a less favora-ble position. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Uppsatsen utreder arbetsgivares möjlighet att säga upp arbetstagare till följd av våldsbrottslighet utan anknytning till tjänsten. Genom att diskutera hur rättsläget i stort, och anställningsskyddet i synnerhet, förändrats av reformen från saklig grund till sakliga skäl, analyseras arbetstagarens lojalitetsplikt och arbetsrättens inneboende intresseavvägningar.

Uppsatsens utredning av det bakomliggande rättsläget visar att osäkerhet råder kring både lojalitetspliktens omfattning, den aktuella lagändringens innebörd samt huruvida våldsbrottslighet utan anknytning till tjänsten kan legitimera uppsägning. Analysen av Arbetsdomstolens praxis visar att våldsbrottslighet utan anknytning till tjänsten har kunnat motivera en lagenlig... (More)
Uppsatsen utreder arbetsgivares möjlighet att säga upp arbetstagare till följd av våldsbrottslighet utan anknytning till tjänsten. Genom att diskutera hur rättsläget i stort, och anställningsskyddet i synnerhet, förändrats av reformen från saklig grund till sakliga skäl, analyseras arbetstagarens lojalitetsplikt och arbetsrättens inneboende intresseavvägningar.

Uppsatsens utredning av det bakomliggande rättsläget visar att osäkerhet råder kring både lojalitetspliktens omfattning, den aktuella lagändringens innebörd samt huruvida våldsbrottslighet utan anknytning till tjänsten kan legitimera uppsägning. Analysen av Arbetsdomstolens praxis visar att våldsbrottslighet utan anknytning till tjänsten har kunnat motivera en lagenlig uppsägning. Domstolen gör en sammanvägd bedömning av flertalet faktorer, där bland annat förtroendeaspekten och avvägningen mellan arbetsgivaren respektive arbetstagarens intresse haft stor betydelse för utfallet.

Av uppsatsens analys framkommer fortsättningsvis att förändringen från sak-lig grund till sakliga skäl förväntas leda till en förändring av rättsläget i arbets-givarvänlig riktning: Arbetstagarens agerande kommer bedömas strängare än tidigare, till följd av det ökade fokuset på avtalsbrottets allvar istället för ar-betstagarens personliga omständigheter. Uppsatsen visar att arbetsgivarens rättsliga möjligheter att säga upp arbetstagare på grund av att han eller hon dömts för våldsbrott utan anknytning till tjänsten har ökat till följd av refor-men 2022, vilket innebär en försvagning av anställningsskyddet. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Frank, Erica LU
supervisor
organization
course
LAGF03 20242
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
arbetsrätt, uppsägning, personliga skäl, brottslighet
language
Swedish
id
9179657
date added to LUP
2025-03-20 13:59:11
date last changed
2025-03-20 13:59:11
@misc{9179657,
  abstract     = {{This essay analyzes the Employment Protection Act's provisions on dismissal for personal reasons, particularly regarding employees convicted of violent crimes unrelated to their jobs. I examine the Labour Court's assessments, fo-cusing on the employee's duty of loyalty and the court's balancing of interests. The essay includes a critical perspective regarding the legislation's impact on workers' rights.

Since 2022, valid reasons (sakliga skäl) for termination are required under the Employment Protection Act (7 §). The meaning of valid reasons is not defined in the legislation but outlined in the legislative preparatory works and devel-oped through the Swedish Labor Court case law. However, the lack of explic-it legal regulation and clarifying practice has resulted in uncertainty about the employees' obligations during their leisure time. 
The analysis of the Labour Court's assessments reveals that violent crimes unrelated to the job have justified lawful dismissal. The trust of the employer and balancing interests in general, but in particular the consideration of the employee's future position in the labor market, has been important for the court's assessment of whether the dismissal was objectively justified.

The essay argues that the shift to valid reasons has fostered a more employer-friendly environment, as the employee’s personal factors are no longer con-sidered to the same extent as before. This change has increased employers' ability to dismiss employees for off-duty conduct, with courts adopting a more restrictive stance and disregarding mitigating circumstances. Conse-quently, the legal landscape now weakens employment protections against dismissals related to off-duty criminality, placing employees in a less favora-ble position.}},
  author       = {{Frank, Erica}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Våldsbrott på fritiden - Anställningsskydd vid uppsägning av personliga skäl till följd av brottslighet}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}