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Union threatens blockade of Systembolaget

A branch of the Syndicalist union is threatening a blockade of Systembolaget in protest what it sees as unfair treatment of one of the union’s members by the state-run liquor retailer.

Union threatens blockade of Systembolaget

The blockade, which will hinder the transport of inventory to various Systembolaget stores in the Stockholm area, is scheduled to start on June 18th at 7:00am, just ahead of the busy Midsummer holiday.

”The stores to be affected are going to be totally empty by Midsummer,” said Emil Boss, spokesperson for the DFSA labour organization, to the newspaper Dagens Nyheter (DN).

The union contends that one of their members, a female employee who has worked at Systembolaget for ten years, has been denied the pay raises she deserves, and that younger and less experienced employees now earn more than she does.

”Since the 1980s, Systembolaget has had problems with the connection between job performance and monetary compensation,” said Boss.

The union claims that when it attempted to negotiate a new pay package on behalf of the employee, Systembolaget argued that giving one employee such a significant pay raise would lead others to make the same request, and therefore broke off the talks.

Officials from Systembolaget aren’t worried about the threat, which they believe will simply hurt customers.

”We’re taking this pretty lightly. But to the extent they succeed, it is our customers who will be be affected,” said Systembolaget spokesperson Björn Rydberg to DN.

”The Syndicalists have only a handful of members in Stockholm, so we’ll see what happens. But it’s not like they can block off our stores however they want.”

With respect to the employee at the heart of the dispute, Rydberg asserts that her salary was negotiated within the framework of a collective wage agreement with the umbrella labour organization Unionen.

”According to the agreement this employee isn’t being discriminated against like the Syndicalists claim. Others in the store have a lower salary than she does. This year her raise was larger than the average for all store employees,” said Rydberg.

Nevertheless, DFSA plans to go ahead with the blockade and may expand it to include more stores if Systembolaget won’t get back to the table.

”We’ll be handing out flyers and informing customers about why we’re carrying out this action. It is Systembolaget who is irresponsible, who won’t open a dialogue about their own employee,” said Boss to DN.

SYSTEMBOLAGET

Swedes warned: Vodka won’t protect you from the coronavirus

Sweden's state-run alcohol chain Systembolaget has advised customers not to buy its spirits as a substitute for hand sanitiser.

Swedes warned: Vodka won't protect you from the coronavirus
Stockholmers queuing outside Systembolaget before Easter. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT

One of the best ways of avoiding the new coronavirus and prevent its spread is to wash your hands often with soap and water, according to the Swedish Public Healh Agency.

If you don't have access to soap or running water, hand sanitiser is the next best option, but the product has been flying off the shelves as shoppers try to get their hands on a bottle.

Sweden's state-owned alcohol chain Systembolaget has been forced to put up signs in several of its stores informing customers that alcohol such as vodka and gin does not work as a substitute for hand sanitiser.

“NOT HAND SANITISER,” read the signs.

“We have had a few questions from customers and have put up signs in those stores,” said Systembolaget press officer Therese Elmgren.

“But it is not possible, just as the signs say. The percentage (of alcohol) needs to be higher.”

An alcohol concentration of at least 60 percent is needed for disinfectant to be effective in killing viruses or bacteria. Absolut Vodka, to use an example of a popular Swedish vodka brand, has an alcohol concentration of 40 percent.

However, some of the ingredients are the same, and during the coronavirus crisis Absolut has adapted parts of its manufacturing in order to produce pure alcohol which can be used for cleaning purposes, instead of vodka for consumption. This pure alcohol then needs to be mixed with gel, manufactured separately, to create usable sanitiser for the healthcare sector.

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