Dockworkers' union extends strike plans at Swedish ports; Transport union comes to agreement

Port workers that are part of the Swedish Dockworkers Union downed tools between 12pm and 6pm local time on Wednesday May 21 at all ports where they have representation, as negotiations for a new collective agreement with employer organization Ports of Sweden are ongoing.

The strike is a key concern for the pulp and paper industry, which relies heavily on port exports.

The union has also expanded its second strike announcement, which covers specific companies during various times between May 22 and June 5, compared with the earlier announced period of May 22 to May 26. Some of the companies are also facing a ban on hiring and overtime.

The full list of companies affected and the proposed schedule for the actions can be found here (in Swedish). One of the companies listed is SCA Logistics.

Transport union agreement

But Ports of Sweden came to an agreement with the Swedish Transport Workers' Union (Transport), the second union representing port workers, in the evening of Tuesday May 20. As a result, Transport has withdrawn its strike threat, which had covered various companies between May 30 and June 15.

The two-year agreement, which expires on April 30, 2027, will see workers' monthly salaries rise by 1,185 Swedish kronor ($123) from May 1 this year and by 1,045 kronor from May 1, 2026.

Transport also said that it had achieved one of its main goals, which was to improve the protection of temporary agency staff.

The Swedish Dockworkers Union said they had been offered the same agreement, but they did not believe that enough had been done on the topic of temporary agency staff. They are also seeking to strengthen the protections for employee representatives, among other demands.

Ports of Sweden argued that the industrial action of the Swedish Dockworkers Union is unlawful, as there is a valid collective agreement in place with Transport.

"This agreement applies to all port workers in Sweden, regardless of union membership. Since 2019, we have offered the Swedish Dockworkers Union an identical secondary agreement, which gives them union rights under Swedish law. They have signed secondary agreements three times before but are now choosing to go on strike instead," Johan Grauers, head of negotiations at Ports of Sweden, said in a statement.

Ports of Sweden has earlier announced so-called mirrored lockouts for some of the Swedish Dockworkers Union's actions. This means that the union members involved in the actions will not be allowed on company premises during the strike, nor will they be offered overtime.