Post by igelkotten on Oct 6, 2005 10:08:01 GMT
This morning, a wildcat strike action more or less stopped the Stockholm Metro and the Saltsjöbanan local commuter line.
For a long time, there has been a growing discontent among staff with the operator, Connex, as an employer. Just over a week ago, Connex suddenly and without any warning sacked the branch secretary for the driver's section of the trade union SEKO. This is the single largest union in the Metro, and part of a large TUC-affiliated union organising workers within the public sector.
The branch secretary, Per Johansson, was sacked for allegedly acting disloyal to his employer and for harassing other staff. However, Connex has not been willing (or able) to give any details of what this illoyality ios supposed to consist of, nor the harassment. Indeed, while it is actually possible to fire someone for harassing his or her colleagues, the company has a strict responsibility to try several remedial actions (such as mediating services and reassignement to a different position) before any such thing can legally be done -none of which have taken place.
A lot of people feel that the sacking has more to do with Connex wanting to get rid of a loud and active union representative, a thorn in their flesh, and at the same time frighten the rest of the staff into silence and submission. Per Johansson has been very visible in media, and vocally critical, against the safety measures and policies of Connex and Stockholm Transport after, among other things, the fire in a tube train at Rinkeby, as well as several other incidents.
This morning, a wildcat strike action struck the metro and Saltsjöbanan. Drivers on the very early duties refused to take their trains out of the depots or relieve other drivers from 04:30 to 09:00. Of course, some drivers refused, or did not dare to participate in the action, and several managers were seen driving trains. But all in all, about two thirds of all metro trains and Saltsjöbanan trains were cancelled.
Negotiations between the trade union SEKO and Connex will follow later today. We in the smaller union SAC are, as they say, "closely observing the proceedings to determine our course of action in the matter at hand".
For a long time, there has been a growing discontent among staff with the operator, Connex, as an employer. Just over a week ago, Connex suddenly and without any warning sacked the branch secretary for the driver's section of the trade union SEKO. This is the single largest union in the Metro, and part of a large TUC-affiliated union organising workers within the public sector.
The branch secretary, Per Johansson, was sacked for allegedly acting disloyal to his employer and for harassing other staff. However, Connex has not been willing (or able) to give any details of what this illoyality ios supposed to consist of, nor the harassment. Indeed, while it is actually possible to fire someone for harassing his or her colleagues, the company has a strict responsibility to try several remedial actions (such as mediating services and reassignement to a different position) before any such thing can legally be done -none of which have taken place.
A lot of people feel that the sacking has more to do with Connex wanting to get rid of a loud and active union representative, a thorn in their flesh, and at the same time frighten the rest of the staff into silence and submission. Per Johansson has been very visible in media, and vocally critical, against the safety measures and policies of Connex and Stockholm Transport after, among other things, the fire in a tube train at Rinkeby, as well as several other incidents.
This morning, a wildcat strike action struck the metro and Saltsjöbanan. Drivers on the very early duties refused to take their trains out of the depots or relieve other drivers from 04:30 to 09:00. Of course, some drivers refused, or did not dare to participate in the action, and several managers were seen driving trains. But all in all, about two thirds of all metro trains and Saltsjöbanan trains were cancelled.
Negotiations between the trade union SEKO and Connex will follow later today. We in the smaller union SAC are, as they say, "closely observing the proceedings to determine our course of action in the matter at hand".
