Swedish taxi drivers threaten to walk out in strike over pay
Taxi drivers in 14 Swedish towns and cities are threatening to walk out in a dispute over salaries.
The Swedish trade union for transport workers, Transportarbetareförbundet, announced that the industrial action would get under way next week if negotiations with employers were unsuccessful.
It is calling for higher wages and rewards based on experience, as well as improved planning of rotas.
“We, along with employers, agree that the taxi industry has major problems when it comes to recruiting and retaining staff. To attract more people to the job and get them to stay on, we need more stable salary levels that reward experience and competence,” union boss Tommy Wreeth said in a statement, noting that their members are not only needed to drive taxis, but also patient transport and school shuttles.
“But despite employers sharing the taxi industry’s idea of the problem, they reject all necessary solutions,” he added.
Six taxi companies in 14 cities, including Gothenburg and Malmö, are involved in the strike threat.
The first stage of the action is set to get under way on August 25th in the form of a ban on hiring new workers and working overtime.
In the early morning of September 4th, if the conflict isn’t resolved by then, taxi drivers will walk out completely.
The following cities and companies will be affected by the strike:
Varberg (Varbergs Taxi AB)
Helsingborg, Malmö, Lund, Ystad and Kristianstad (Telepass AB)
Västervik (Vikbolands Taxi 160 000 AB)
Örebro (Connect Bus Sandarna AB)
Gothenburg (Göteborgs Buss AB)
Grästorp, Vara, Nossebro, Tjörn and Trollhättan (Sparlunds Buss and Taxi i Grästorp AB)
Taxi drivers working for those companies in those towns and cities will cease all work on September 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, 18th and 19th between 4am and 5pm, if the strike goes ahead.
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The Swedish trade union for transport workers, Transportarbetareförbundet, announced that the industrial action would get under way next week if negotiations with employers were unsuccessful.
It is calling for higher wages and rewards based on experience, as well as improved planning of rotas.
“We, along with employers, agree that the taxi industry has major problems when it comes to recruiting and retaining staff. To attract more people to the job and get them to stay on, we need more stable salary levels that reward experience and competence,” union boss Tommy Wreeth said in a statement, noting that their members are not only needed to drive taxis, but also patient transport and school shuttles.
“But despite employers sharing the taxi industry’s idea of the problem, they reject all necessary solutions,” he added.
Six taxi companies in 14 cities, including Gothenburg and Malmö, are involved in the strike threat.
The first stage of the action is set to get under way on August 25th in the form of a ban on hiring new workers and working overtime.
In the early morning of September 4th, if the conflict isn’t resolved by then, taxi drivers will walk out completely.
The following cities and companies will be affected by the strike:
Varberg (Varbergs Taxi AB)
Helsingborg, Malmö, Lund, Ystad and Kristianstad (Telepass AB)
Västervik (Vikbolands Taxi 160 000 AB)
Örebro (Connect Bus Sandarna AB)
Gothenburg (Göteborgs Buss AB)
Grästorp, Vara, Nossebro, Tjörn and Trollhättan (Sparlunds Buss and Taxi i Grästorp AB)
Taxi drivers working for those companies in those towns and cities will cease all work on September 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, 18th and 19th between 4am and 5pm, if the strike goes ahead.
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