A Swedish shop steward had been sacked by Connex, the transport branch of Veolia. He has been sacked for speaking his mind on the health and safety conditions in the Stockholm metro.
The trade unions are organising a major demonstration 18 November.
SEKO Stockholm
November 18th has been declared a day of protest against the anti-union policy of Connex in general and against the sacking of Per Johansson in particular. We are appealing for your solidarity.
On September 27th, his employer, Connex Sweden, fired Per Johansson, chairman of the Stockholm metro drivers' branch of SEKO, the Swedish union of Service and Communication Employees. The reason for this was Johansson's alleged disloyalty to the company and his alleged rudeness towards his “fellow employees” (probably referring to his bosses). Connex maintains that the sacking is in no way related to Johansson's role as chairman. The members of his union and other unions think otherwise.
Under Johansson's chairmanship the union has gained considerable ground in questions concerning wages and working hours. The immediate cause for his dismissal, however, is probably his focus on safety and working environment. Together with the elected safety controllers the union has put its finger on several sore spots. The safety controllers have used their power to stop the traffic on three different occasions after severe incidents. Insufficient measures having been taken to remedy the ills, Johansson has gone public. In all likelihood this constitutes his “disloyalty”.
Full text see attached.
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