Threat of strike over as snow covers Stockholm

Swedish Commercial Employees' Union Handels and employer’s organization Svensk Handel reached an agreement just two days before industrial actions would have commenced. The parties accepted mediator’s suggestion on Thursday for a one-year agreement raising retail workers pay by 710 SEK. Warehouse workers get a raise of 665 SEK per month. This 2.6% raise pretty much halves the initial argument.

Handels managed to get some concessions on making it harder for companies to continue to chain fixed-term contract one after another. Temporary workers will have the ability for a permanent contract after one year with the same employer. While it is certainly true, that many employees have abused this feature, typically even unions have agreed that if there is a clear reason why employer can only offer a fixed-term contract, they could be pooled as well. This kind of clausules can sometimes lead to different type of adverse practises.

The parties also agreed on an internship solution for young workers. The lack of options for young people to simply go and try to find any employment and to get to try different kinds of works coupled with union insider preference has undoubtedly played a role in rising youth unemployment the region over. It has also meant many people have chosen the wrong type of a career. This agreement, which gives an intern 75% pay for one-year internship for under 21 year old trainee is at least a right kind of a try to tackle the issue.

After one issue was resolved, many people in Stockholm region had to contend with power cuts this morning as thousands of customers are without electricity due to heavy snowfall. As much as 10 centimetres of snow covered much of Central Sweden, which had already officially entered spring.