Trade union opposes opening of labour market

Sweden's government wants to facilitate immigration for workers from non-European countries. Its main trade union LO, however, opposes this proposal owing to fears that the more flexible laws could be open to abuse. The newspaper recalls the case of a Latvian construction company based in Vaxholm that was blocked by Swedish trade unions and eventually went bankrupt. It says the real cause for the LO's opposition is its "fear of losing control of the job market. This is what the Vaxholm conflict was all about - it wasn't about collective agreements or wage dumping. They were only concerned about their own interests, not the Latvian workers. In Vaxholm trade unionists shouted 'go home.' The LO leadership didn't express itself as openly or directly, but this is what it was thinking, and it supported that message. The organisation is adopting the same stance towards non-European workers: foreigners should stay in their home countries."

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