Sweden - Union calls strike of forest workers - May 25, 2010

GS, the union for the forestry, wood and graphical industries, has decided to begin strike action in the forest industry on 1 June, following no progress in the negotiations with the employers’ organisation SLA on the collective agreement, expiring 31 May and covering 3,000 workers. The key issue for the union is the definition of workers in forestry which, if the employers get their way, will lead to widespread casualisation. Employers may then hire any individual as a so-called “individual entrepreneur.” “This is absolutely unacceptable, it affects our members' future,” said Tommy Andersson, GS vice-president.

English: http://www.bwint.org/default.asp?Index=2742&Language=EN

This article was published in the Collective Bargaining Newsletter. It aims to facilitate information exchange between trade unions and to support the work of ETUC's collective bargaining committee. For more information, please contact the editor Maarten van Klaveren, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) M.vanKlaveren@uva.nl. You may find further information on the ETUI atwww.etui.org, and on the AIAS at www.uva-aias.net. © ETUI aisbl, Brussels 2009.