Procter & Gamble sacks worker over private blog

The Swedish branch of US manufacturing giant Procter & Gamble has sacked one of its workers following the publication in a newspaper of excerpts from his private blog.

• Blogger profile: Julie Lindahl (18 Mar 10)
• Melodifestivalen draws 3.9 million viewers (15 Mar 10)
• Blogger profile: Patrick Reilly (8 Mar 10)

Axel Bringéus, 24, suddenly found himself in the media spotlight last Monday after newspaper Resumé contacted him about certain comments he had made on his website (see below).

Bringéus was shocked by the sudden turn of events, which left him feeling that he had been grossly misrepresented as a right-wing extremist. The entries on his blog to which the newspaper referred in its subsequent article had been intended as satire, he said.

"After the journalist called, I imagined this nightmare scenario unfolding but never believed it would really happen," said Bringéus.

The wheels of change moved quickly however. Shortly after the newspaper published quotes from his blog, Bringéus was called in to a meeting by his employer and told that his services were no longer required.

"Anyone who knows me would have been aware that the blog posts were not meant to be taken seriously. Procter & Gamble probably wanted to get this problem out of the way as quickly as possible but I was forced to come out and defend myself after the article was published."

When the story broke, Bringéus had just seen out the first month of a six month trial period with Procter & Gamble. He had been employed as an assistant brand manager and expressed annoyance that the newspaper had referred to him as an “advertising boss”.

Resumé was heavily criticized on its own website by readers who felt that the newspaper had unnecessarily targeted a low-level employee in its search for a story.

Bringéus said the blog was intended to be read by a circle of friends consisting of around twenty people who understood his sense of humour and did not take his societal analysis too literally.

While upset at having lost his job, he said he would not hold a grudge against Procter & Gamble.

"With the benefit of hindsight, I probably shouldn't have written the blog at all. I thought Procter & Gamble could have handled it differently but I can understand why they let me go," he said.

The Local has tried to reach Procter & Gamble for a comment but has so far not received a reply.


The quotes that lost Axel Bringéus his job:

On learning that striking workers might hinder his planned weekend trip to Paris:

"Right now I would like nothing more than for French police, whether on horseback or not, to go out to Orly Airport and bash in the heads of these disgusting French worker scumbags who might prevent me from travelling to France on Friday."

On not appreciating the Saltsjöbaden agreement that paved the way for the Swedish model of worker relations.

"I don't want the Saltsjöbaden spirit, I want violent and bloody class warfare."

Above a picture of the German invasion of Paris in 1940:

"The Germanophile Frankophobe awoke in me, my eyes darkened, my ears were filled with marching music and in my mind's eye I saw these beautiful images."