Painters strike over point of principle

On 16 June 1998, painters employed by large property owners in Sweden embarked on strike action which might well last for a considerable time. The issues at stake in the conflict are complex and concern a matter of principle rather than pay.

The 1998 bargaining round was still not entirely completed in late June 1998. Even though the parties in most sectors have agreed pay increases (SE9806190F), around 700 members of the Painters' Union (Målareförbundet) are on strike - the only one so far in the bargaining round - and all the indications are that the action will last for a considerable time. The Employers' Association of Property Owners (Fastigo) is in dispute with the trade union on a quite complicated matter. The issues at stake are more a matter of principle than a dispute about pay. In essence, the conflict is between Fastigo and another employers' organisation, the Swedish Association of Painting Contractors (Målaremästarnas riksförening), but it also involves the Painters' Union. It concerns an old fee system dating back to 1902, which is based on a collective agreement between the Swedish Association of Painting Contractors and the Painters' Union, a system to which Fastigo has adhered.

At stake is the question of fees paid by employers into a fund to finance common activities such as research, education and safety activities. Fastigo claims that the system as a whole needs to be reformed and is critical of the way the accounting system operates. According to the union, Fastigo has been offered a seat in the body that administers the funds, which it has rejected stating that it is merely interested in knowing how much money specific activities cost. Fastigo argues that its members pay too much to the fund which in the long run will have an adverse effect on rents charged to its tenants. The Painters' Union, on the other hand, claims that some of the expenditure of the fund is used to support the pay system which is also to the benefit of Fastigo's members.

On 16 June 1998, the painters took strike action and on 26 June, the Swedish Electricians' Union (Elektrikerförbundet) came out in sympathy. If an agreement is not reached before 1 July 1998, building workers employed by 23 of Fastigo's members were also also take sympathy action.