The Swedish Port Workers’ Union announces a strike in Gothenburg RoRo Terminal and Port of Helsingborg from Thursday 6th July until Tuesday 11th July. During the same period, the union announces an overtime blockade, a new hire blockade and a hiring blockade in ports of Halland.
The Swedish Port Workers’ Union’s main demand is the establishment of a joint social fund. The purpose of the fund is to support employers who choose to rehabilitate needy employees after prolonged illness or injury. Employers who take a greater responsibility for rehabilitation than what the law currently requires must be able to seek financial support for it from the fund.
In the ports of Sweden, many people work in an extremely insecure form of employment which means that they end up in the middle of the insurance systems, even though some may have made a living as dock workers for decades. We have several recent examples of extractions that were completely cynically left to fend for themselves even after they were seriously injured at work. With this fund, the employers who have a better approach are rewarded, and hopefully it provides an incentive for more to follow suit, says union chairman Martin Berg.
The second requirement is that newly employed and hired dock workers must have the right to a paid union induction with the Swedish Dock Workers’ Union.
We want to establish a firm introduction in collective agreements because it works differently around the country today. Some employers are deliberately trying to erode our opportunities to inform about the union, while other unions in the industry are given completely different conditions. We need to ensure equal treatment and freedom of association, continues Berg.
