Employers and unions in industry form alliance for future

In December 2001, employers and trade unions in Swedish manufacturing industry launched an innovative alliance, known as 'Future for Swedish Industry'. The aim is to stimulate long-term investment in Swedish industry and to initiate and use 'spearhead' research.

In early December 2001, an alliance was created between employers and trade unions in Swedish manufacturing industry, entitled 'Future for Swedish Industry' (Framtid för svensk industri). The chair of the alliance is the industrialist, Carl Bennet, while the vice-chair is Göran Johnsson, the head of the Swedish Metalworkers' Union (Svenska Metallindustriarbetareförbundet, Metall). The alliance brings together high-level representatives from: major enterprises such as Saab, Volvo, Astra Zeneca; the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (Kungliga Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademin); and three leading trade unions in the private industry sector - Metall, the Swedish Union of Clerical and Technical Employees in Industry (Svenska Industritjänstemannaförbundet, SIF) and the Association of Graduate Engineers (Sveriges Civilingenjörsförbund, CF). Political representatives will also take part, such as Göran Johansson (Social Democrat), a municipal commissioner in Gothenburg.

The aim of the alliance is to stimulate long-term investment in Swedish industry and to initiate and use 'spearhead' research that will secure Sweden's position in manufacturing - for example, in biotechnology, microbiology, advanced car production, telecommunications and the medical sector. The alliance hopes to achieve its aims through concentrating research in a few areas where Swedish industry is already very strong. It plans to launch an initial report by 1 May 2002, setting out practical ideas on how to strengthen both competition and high-technology industry in Sweden.

One of the underlying reasons behind the creation of the new alliance is the increasing trend for Swedish-owned companies to move their operations abroad. 'Sweden is threatened by a chain reaction of unnecessary industry relocations', stated Mr Bennet said in the press announcement presenting the alliance. Mr Bennet, part-owner of Getinge Industries, has experience of moving production of medical technology products to and from Canada several times, and the company's head office is now moving back to Sweden from Canada. The trade union movement is, of course, also worried about companies moving operations from Sweden, leaving local ex-employees unemployed. 'In order to meet the demands of more qualified production there is also a need for education and skills development for everybody, from the workshop to the boardroom,' commented Mr Johnsson of Metall.

Cooperation between the trade union movement and employers' associations represented by the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise (Svenskt Näringsliv) has proved difficult in recent times. Talks about 'growth pacts' promoted by Björn Rosengren, the Minister for Industry, Employment and Commerce, have proved unsuccessful, as did attempts by the social partners to create an alliance of their own in 1998 and 1999 (SE9901135N and SE9811122N).