Log in

View Full Version : Unions in Sweden



NoOneIsIllegal
2nd November 2010, 20:12
I read somewhere (Wiki?) that Sweden has a workforce that is largely unionized. The few statistics I have seen generally say between 80 to 90% are unionized (compared to the USA's total workface being 12% organized).
Despite Sweden, to my knowledge, having one of the largest (percentage wise) organized workforces, are most of these reformist? Are there prominent militants? Do SAC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sveriges_Arbetares_Centralorganisation) (Central Organization of the Workers of Sweden, an anarcho-syndicalist union) have a large following, or are doing any major work right now?

80-90% is a huge number, but are the unions corrupt, reactionary, undemocratic? Are the people happy with the unions? Is there revolutionary potential in Sweden?
All this plus any other answer to an unasked question would be great.

Tavarisch_Mike
2nd November 2010, 22:45
Most unions are reformist and then i mean the very vast majority of them (besides frome SAC and the harboe workers union and a few others). Theese unions form the larger organisation LO, which is closly conected to the soc-dem party, in the 30s the LO made a agreement with the employers organisation SAF, that they should have some rules about when youre allowed to strike, minimum wages, working conditions and soo. This lead to the forming of contracts that are common in nearly evry workplace here in Sweden and this was the biggest betrayal against the swedish working class ever, when the LO signed on the agreement with SAF they agreed that the employer would still have full control over the workplace, the workers and so, this lead to the destruction of radicalness among the labour movement.

The unions in the LO are highly hiarchy and the members dont have very much to say, many people are just members because that gives them insurances and might give them help in occaission of being fired, but to be honest the high numbers doesnt give a fair picture, many unions have pacified the workers and given them a false picture of what a union should be. At least there is some hope in SAC, despite theire small size, they tend to stand for (i think) one third of the conflicts on the labour market and are totally ranned by the memmbers.