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Swedish nurses and midwives set to walk out on June 4th

A full-blown strike is set to break out in Swedish healthcare at 11am on June 4th.

Published: 3 June 2024 11:24 CEST
Swedish nurses and midwives set to walk out on June 4th
If no agreement is reached, the strike could double on June 11th. Photo: Jessica Gow/TT

Demanding shorter work hours, some 2,000 nurses, midwives, biomedical analysts and radiology nurses are set to walk out on June 4th in five regions: Stockholm, Västra Götaland, Skåne, Östergötland and Västerbotten, including seven of Sweden’s largest hospitals.

Then on June 11th, if the conflict isn’t resolved, another 1,900 union members and two new regions, Värmland and Västmanland, will join the walkout.

A blockade on overtime and new hires has been in place for 63,000 members of the Swedish Association of Health Professionals union in all Swedish regions since April 25th, and was extended to 5,000 municipal employees in 29 municipalities from May 20th.

Healthcare is run regionally in Sweden, but municipalities organise welfare services such as elderly care and school nurses.

The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR) is blaming the consequences of the strike on the union, claiming that it could risk the lives of patients. The union refutes this, saying that healthcare was already endangered before it threatened to strike.

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STRIKES

Why a Swedish metalworkers’ union is taking Tesla to court

Sweden's metalworkers' union, which is still striking in a row over Tesla's lack over a collective bargaining agreement, is now taking the carmaker to court over its refusal to disclose its financial health.

Published: 26 June 2024 07:04 CEST
Why a Swedish metalworkers' union is taking Tesla to court

Tomas With, vice-president of IF Metall, told AFP that the necessary documents were ready and would be filed with the court next week at the latest.

According to the union, Swedish law dictates that companies need to keep unions regularly informed about their financial situation.

Employers who have not signed a collective agreement – which is the case for the American giant – must still inform the unions who have members working for them.

In late October, IF Metall launched a strike against Tesla over its refusal to sign a collective wage agreement, and some 130 mechanics at 10 Tesla repair shops in seven cities walked off the job.

IF Metall then extended the strike to include work on Teslas at other repair shops which served multiple brands.

The strike has since grown into a larger conflict between Tesla and almost a dozen unions seeking to protect Sweden’s labour model, including postal workers, dock workers and even spreading to neighbouring Nordic countries.

Since March, IF Metall has been organising meetings with Tesla’s Swedish repair shops to obtain information about the company’s financial affairs.

“In recent months, management has generally emphasised the need to make savings … ‘Will they reduce the number of employees or not?'” With asked.

While most of the workshops provided this information, one in Uppsala, north of Stockholm, refused, arguing that it was in conflict with IF Metall.

Negotiated sector by sector, collective agreements with unions are the basis of the Nordic labour market model.

Guaranteeing wages and working conditions, they cover almost 90 percent of all employees in Sweden and 80 percent in Denmark.

Despite the fact that many of Tesla’s employees in Sweden are union members, they cannot benefit from the collective bargaining agreements unless Tesla signs on to them.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has long rejected calls to allow the company’s 127,000 employees worldwide to unionise.

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