Sweden : interview with Hans Tilly, president of Byggnads, the Swedish union for construction workers

Several cases opposing unions to companies (see our story n°0630) give the impression that unions and collective agreements are more and more disputed. Recently, several small businesses from the food service and the forest industries ran up against unions because they refused to adhere to collective agreements, whereas none of their employees adhered to a union organization. Hans Tilly goes back on these conflicts, which also question the free movement of workers in the EU and the freedom to provide services. (Ref. 070170)
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  • Are we in the presence of the questioning of union organizations ?

I do not think so. These cases made tongues wag because they were given a lot of media coverage. In the construction sector, we rarely resort to threatening to block a stubborn company, and we even more rarely act. On the other hand, an ideological fight is in progress. Those who do not like unions use these diverse cases to undermine our position. Some organizations are crusading that way and are looking for new companies to c

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