Latest news with #SvenskHandel
Local Sweden
05-06-2025
- Business
- Local Sweden
Swedes breathe sigh of relief after Systembolaget strike is called off
The Midsummer's Eve aquavit is safe. Advertisement Swedes' access to alcohol this summer is secured after trade unions struck a deal with business organisation Svensk Handel less than a week before hundreds of employees at state-run alcohol monopoly Systembolaget had been set to walk out. Unionen and Engineers of Sweden had threatened industrial action which would have affected Systembolaget's headquarters as well as warehouses in Stockholm, Kungsängen, Sundsvall and Örebro. As the warehouses supply alcohol to the chain's stores, there was a risk of shelves running dry and some shops having to close as a result. The sticking point was union demands for part-time employees to be given the same rights to overtime compensation as full-time employees when they work more than their contracted hours. But after signing a new collective bargaining agreement, the strike was called off.
Local Sweden
28-05-2025
- Business
- Local Sweden
Swedes fear alcohol shortage as Systembolaget summer strike looms
If there's one way to spark the ire of Swedes, it's by telling them they may not get their aquavit in time for Midsummer. Advertisement Swedes' access to alcohol could be limited this summer after the Unionen trade union threatened to launch industrial action at Swedish state-owned alcohol chain Systembolaget unless it reaches an agreement with business organisation Svensk Handel by June 10th. The strike would affect Systembolaget's headquarters as well as warehouses in Stockholm, Kungsängen, Sundsvall and Örebro. The warehouses supply alcohol to the chain's stores, and several hundred Unionen members would be involved in the strike. There is a risk that shelves could run dry as a result, and that some stores may even have to close. "The Midsummer Eve snaps is in danger," reads a headline in the Aftonbladet newspaper. The sticking point, according to Unionen, is its demands for part-time employees to be given the same rights to overtime compensation as full-time employees when they work more than their contracted hours. "We demand fair conditions for everyone," it said in a statement. "We regret that Unionen is choosing this path," said a representative from Svensk Handel in a statement. In Sweden, Systembolaget has a monopoly on over-the-counter sales of drinks with an alcohol content stronger than 3.5 percent ABV. FOOD AND DRINK:
