The Local Sweden

Swedish union 'flouts members' wishes'

Thu, 06 Feb 2014 16:08:00 +0100

Sweden's blue-collar trade union confederation LO on Thursday said it aimed to bring its members back to the Social Democrat party ahead of EU and national elections. The move provoked an immediate backlash.

Swedish union 'impotent' in Norwegian staff shuffle

Thu, 09 Jan 2014 11:09:00 +0100

Norwegian's Sweden-based cabin crew, recently moved to a staffing company, have complained that their Swedish union does not have the clout to protect them against the budget airline and the unspoken threat of losing their jobs.

Swedish opposition to scrap migrant-worker law

Wed, 27 Nov 2013 16:51:00 +0100

The left-wing opposition stands ready to tear up the controversial Laval Law, which differentiates between domestic and foreign workers, if the Social Democrat party wrests power from the government in next year's elections.

New registry for foreign temp workers in Sweden

Fri, 09 Aug 2013 12:40:00 +0200

The head of Sweden's work environment watchdog believes a new law forcing foreign employers to report temporary postings in a centralized registry will lead to a streamlined monitoring system.

'Sweden breaches EU labour law': union

Tue, 16 Jul 2013 09:36:00 +0200

White-collar trade union TCO said on Tuesday it had reported Sweden to the European Commission due to Swedish employers regularly skirting a directive aimed to limit the number of close-ended employment contracts used in succession.

'Labour migration helps Swedish firms compete'

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 15:58:00 +0200

Swedish companies need to keep the power to hire foreign workers, argues Karin Ekenger of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise (Svenskt Näringsliv), who fears a return to letting government agencies and unions determine who can work in Sweden will hurt firms' ability to compete globally.

Swedes' Germany trips cancelled due to strike

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 16:15:00 +0200

Scandinavian Airlines SAS has had to pull 29 flights as German airline and airport personnel launch a 24-hour strike that has also led to 1,700 Lufthansa flights being cancelled on Monday.

Sweden's industrial workers set for pay hike

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:14:00 +0200

Workers in Sweden's industrial sector earned a 6.8-percent raise in wages on Tuesday, agreeing to a new collective wage deal following a lengthy set of negotiations.

EU opens disputed media probe to the public

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:53:00 +0100

The Swedish head of the European Federation of Journalists has welcomed an EU public consultation on the media, after a special committee failed to consult the union before saying politicians should be able to fire reporters.

SAS 'ultimatum' angers Swedish unions

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:23:00 +0100

SAS's last-minute push to cut costs without first consulting its employees flies in the face of the Swedish model, say union representatives who liken it to "an ultimatum". The final deal represents the first time since the 1930s that employees' wages have decreased.

Swedish union in new name proposal: 'Fack Ett'

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:21:00 +0200

Swedish trade union Kommunal is pondering a name-change to better reflect its members’ identity, however name proposals such as Fack Ett have prompted fears of ridicule from both branding experts and regular members.

Ikea slammed over anti-union bullying in Turkey

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 14:28:00 +0200

Swedish unions have blasted furniture giant Ikea following reports that workers at Ikea stores in Turkey have been threatened and harassed over union membership.

Wrong to fire staff for Facebook folly: study

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 10:20:00 +0200

Swedish employers have lost all five cases of unfair dismissal brought after employees were fired from their jobs for comments made on Facebook and other social media, according to a survey by a Swedish union group.

Fury over strawberry vendor's baseball bat

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 11:49:00 +0200

A strawberry vendor in western Sweden was given a baseball bat as a means of protecting herself, prompting unions to cry foul about sub-standard working conditions for street-side fruit sellers.

New Swedish union boss seeks welfare state boost

Sat, 26 May 2012 18:20:00 +0200

Sweden's Trade Union Confederation (Landsorganisationen - LO) on Saturday elected as its new president Karl- Petter Thorwaldsson, who proceeded to call for a restoration of the Swedish welfare model.

Wage deal keeps Sweden airport buses running

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:34:00 +0200

A planned solidarity strike by drivers of airport buses in Sweden has been called off after a public sector healthcare union reached a new wage agreement.

Swedes face toilet paper shortage in wake of strike threat

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:50:00 +0200

The threat of a toilet paper shortage looming large over Sweden on Wednesday after a labour union warned it would block deliveries from several Swedish toilet paper factories in a show of solidarity with another union group negotiating for higher pay.

Ikea unions fight for global labour standards

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:25:00 +0100

Ikea trade union leaders from around the world met in Istanbul on Tuesday to launch a global alliance to standardize labour practices in every store in the Swedish furniture chain.

'CEOs earn in a year what workers earn in a lifetime': union

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 09:09:00 +0100

CEOs in Sweden earn on average in one year what manufacturing workers stand to earn in their entire lifetimes, according to a report from Sweden's main trade union group.

Young Swedish workers abandon unions

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:22:00 +0100

Only one in three young Swedes are union members, compared to 80 percent in the same age group only 15 years ago, according to a new report.