Swedish unions threaten to strike at payment company Klarna
Two Swedish trade unions handed a strike warning to tech giant Klarna on Thursday afternoon.
"We've waited long enough," local union chairman Sen Kanner said. "Unionen's members at Klarna want an agreement in place."
The two unions walked out of negotiations with Klarna on Thursday after a couple of years of trying to come to an agreement. They're asking for a collective bargaining agreement with the same working conditions as those offered at similar workplaces.
From November 7th, members of Unionen and Engineers of Sweden will strike at Klarna's head office in Stockholm, where around 2,000 employees work, according to the unions.
"We want influence, stable conditions and the possibility to get omställningsstöd," Kanner said in a written comment.
Omställningsstöd gives workers who have lost their jobs a number of extra rights, including the right to advice and support when searching for a new job, extra support in case of illness and in some cases extra financial support.
You can listen to Sen Kanner, herself an immigrant in Sweden, talk to The Local about the process of unionising at Klarna earlier this year in our Sweden in Focus podcast below.
The unions did not wish to comment on the number of members they have working at Klarna, as they do not want to risk Klarna putting pressure on employees.
Klarna's CEO, Sebastian Siemiatokowski, has previously said he is unconvinced that a collective bargaining agreement would provide better working conditions to employees than what the company currently offers.
When negotiations broke down last weekend, he wrote the following in a message to staff: "We also raised comments from our staff about a lack of evidence that a large enough number of employees want this change. Unfortunately, the unions didn't want to share that kind of information with us either."
Although nine out of ten employees in Sweden are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, they are less common in the startup and tech bubble.
Those in favour of collective agreements argue that they are an essential part of the Swedish model, ensuring good and equal contracts for everyone. Those against argue that up-and-coming businesses in the modern labour market need more flexibility than these deals offer.
Swedish streaming giant Spotify in September pulled out of negotiations with trade unions.
“While we have a lot of respect for collective bargaining agreements and the Swedish model, our employment conditions and benefits are already just as good or better than what is stipulated in a collective bargaining agreement and our plan remains to keep offering our employees first-rate wages and benefits,” a Spotify spokesperson told startup news site Breakit at the time.
Last week, the Swedish metal workers' union threatened to order its members to strike at Tesla, unless the car manufacturer signs a collective bargaining agreement.
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"We've waited long enough," local union chairman Sen Kanner said. "Unionen's members at Klarna want an agreement in place."
The two unions walked out of negotiations with Klarna on Thursday after a couple of years of trying to come to an agreement. They're asking for a collective bargaining agreement with the same working conditions as those offered at similar workplaces.
From November 7th, members of Unionen and Engineers of Sweden will strike at Klarna's head office in Stockholm, where around 2,000 employees work, according to the unions.
"We want influence, stable conditions and the possibility to get omställningsstöd," Kanner said in a written comment.
Omställningsstöd gives workers who have lost their jobs a number of extra rights, including the right to advice and support when searching for a new job, extra support in case of illness and in some cases extra financial support.
You can listen to Sen Kanner, herself an immigrant in Sweden, talk to The Local about the process of unionising at Klarna earlier this year in our Sweden in Focus podcast below.
The unions did not wish to comment on the number of members they have working at Klarna, as they do not want to risk Klarna putting pressure on employees.
Klarna's CEO, Sebastian Siemiatokowski, has previously said he is unconvinced that a collective bargaining agreement would provide better working conditions to employees than what the company currently offers.
When negotiations broke down last weekend, he wrote the following in a message to staff: "We also raised comments from our staff about a lack of evidence that a large enough number of employees want this change. Unfortunately, the unions didn't want to share that kind of information with us either."
Although nine out of ten employees in Sweden are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, they are less common in the startup and tech bubble.
Those in favour of collective agreements argue that they are an essential part of the Swedish model, ensuring good and equal contracts for everyone. Those against argue that up-and-coming businesses in the modern labour market need more flexibility than these deals offer.
Swedish streaming giant Spotify in September pulled out of negotiations with trade unions.
“While we have a lot of respect for collective bargaining agreements and the Swedish model, our employment conditions and benefits are already just as good or better than what is stipulated in a collective bargaining agreement and our plan remains to keep offering our employees first-rate wages and benefits,” a Spotify spokesperson told startup news site Breakit at the time.
Last week, the Swedish metal workers' union threatened to order its members to strike at Tesla, unless the car manufacturer signs a collective bargaining agreement.
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