On the morning of December 3 tweets LO out that the organization is ready for new elections and on short notice can pull off yet another election campaign. A few hours later announced Prime Minister Stefan Löfven (S) that there will be extra election on 22 March.
It has been a turbulent autumn with the election campaign, a new red-green government and political crisis. Ahead of the winter election campaign and LO, hoping for increased support for the Social Democrats, charging the batteries.
LO chairman Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson, or “Charlie” as he is called, reminds a bit of a sweet teddy bear. He is bearded and friendly, chatting happily and laughing noisily. A warm person with a lot of humor, so he is described frequently. Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson is the industrial worker who became Ombudsman for the union IF Metall and the director of the study association ABF. Since over two years, he LO base.
We meet at his home ground, in the LO bail at Railway Square. The coffee is fine until succumbed in a conference, but we must not get into his study. No, where we never do interviews, explains his press secretary Sigrid Bøe, who sits with. You never know what lies ahead there.
But bear in the LO bail can also roar. When we talk about the bad conditions in the Swedish labor market tightens his tone.
– It is the worst in the hotel and restaurant sector. You could not even imagine how horrible it is there sometimes.
Opinions quickly from soft to hard when he talks about a hotel in Malmo, which he recently visited. Venture capitalists bought the hotel chain. The staff who cleans hard-pressed. The number of rooms to be overtaken with has more than doubled in recent years. Karl-Petter goes from mysfarbror to glowing union fighter when he tells what he saw behind the scenes in Malmö.
– Those who work there sent around a pillbox at lunch to cope with the afternoon session, it is completely senseless, he says, shaking his head.
– It is often migrant women and other disadvantaged groups in the labor market which happens to worst out. Those short courses are interchangeable and lose their jobs as soon as they complain.
Mighty LO with its 14 unions and their 1.5 million members, worked relentlessly to get rid of the bourgeois government last fall. They had obviously hoped for an even stronger support for the Social Democrats, they also financially supports (every month is 50 cents per LO member of the party), but had to settle for a coalition government.
With a place in The Social Democrats powerful executive committee, LO has previously had direct influence over party policy. The Green Party now in government has been struggling to it. Therefore they are working now on how they can influence in a better way in the future.
– We have to find a new role. As long as the Social Democrats have sat alone in the government, we have had a unique opportunity to influence. When the government has now made up within themselves and agree it is very difficult for us to come in and change afterwards. So we have set up a group within LO for Tobias Baudin (LO vice president) to see how we will work with advocacy work now that we have a coalition government. He works full time with it and will come back with a proposal for LO’s board of directors.
Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson is very concerned by the political crisis that arose and announced additional choice .
– It is very bad for Sweden. We risk our reputation. In a globalized world sees investors primarily to the stability of different countries when making their investment decisions. Sweden has so far been restated to those countries that are safe to invest in, now we have become one of the most insecure.
– The bourgeois parties lust for power stands in the way of a pragmatic development of Swedish policy.
Do you stand even behind the Green Party now when they go into an election campaign in conjunction with the Social Democrats?
– We are just behind S. Our union-political cooperation between LO and The Social Democrats. We think it is important that all parties are going to the polls on their own policies. But nothing serious party can not close the door to cooperation. The deadlock in Swedish politics must be broken after the election on 22 March.
How will you act to the choice not to act on immigration policies as the SD want?
– If it becomes a hard ideological choice between left and right in politics, it is also very clear that SD is now a part of the bourgeois in Sweden. We know from previous legislature that they actively chose to support the Alliance in parliament in eight cases out of ten, it is estimated their passive support makes it nine times out of ten. By voting for the Alliance’s budget, they have proven that they are a right-wing party and hence voted away their own campaign promises about the height UIF, if higher pensions and improvements in health insurance. By discussing sakpolitik can we prevent the election of 22 March there will be a referendum on Sweden’s immigration policy.
What do you say about a broad political cooperation across block boundaries?
– I do not think it would be good with the two main opponents in Swedish politics, the Social Democrats and the Conservatives, in the same government. It becomes difficult to find alternatives if they would go bad. In Germany reigns Social Democrats with the Christian Democrats, if they fail, where will the voters go? The risk is great that they seek out the populist, xenophobic parties.
We leave it political crisis and talk instead about the public debate in general. Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson wants to combat the precautionary culture that he believes that Sweden is suffering from.
– We should have higher ceilings in the Swedish debate. Too many in the Swedish society is very afraid to have conflicts, but my experience is that it is actually easier to find compromises if it has been clear and taken the debate in advance.
Now, he is calling that more people will dare to stick their neck out and be clearer.
– This applies to both scientists, politicians, entrepreneurs and union leaders.
The Swedish pension system is a concrete example of when the caution culture danger harm us, according Thorwaldsson. The pension system was made up 1999 block boundaries and then have the debate about our pensions silent.
– Nobody talks about pension goes down substantially for quite large groups. I do not think is worthy. For an LO member is dramatic changes.
Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson think that the liabilities of the pension scheme should be increased very significantly to bring up the pension levels to levels similar to the old ATP system . A reasonable pension should be around 70 per cent of final salary.
– There are many who are far below that level today. Since the question is where to take the money from. I do not mean that everything will be taken from the public. We can of course take a portion of the salary space too, and pursue this issue in the forthcoming negotiations. But if you go this route, then all without a collective agreement not to get any enumeration. Then we re-sized groups that are too low pensions in the future. So it’s a balance which way we should go.
Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson praises perhaps not surprisingly, the red-green government, his friend Stefan Löfven After all, Prime Minister, but refuses to review individual ministers for SvD Business.
In essence, he has found ministers, who with few exceptions, has started its work extremely well, he said.
With some exception – what is it that you think behaved so well?
– No, I’m not going to make any list. There goes my limit, says Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson and laughs.
But you’ve wanted others to dare more and go the whole hog …
– No, I’m not single out anyone and make it harder for them than it already is.
What issues do you see as the biggest problems with the Green Party?
– Actually, no.
None at all? I thought you would at least mention Bromma airport and the stopped passing …
– No, that’s another thing. And I have criticized very hard. When embarking on what is already decided, so it’s only obstruction. Everyone knows, for example, the bypass will begin in May 1 next year, when will the excavators up again. This type of symbolic actions are never any that have earned something on ever. There is no room for negotiation because it’s decided.
Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson believes that discussions on Bromma Airport and the deferred passing hurt Stefan Löfvéns good growth reputation unnecessarily. But when one looks ahead, he embraces much of the Greens genomic infrastructure policy.
The next few years, there is a lot to be said for the Green Party’s focus on how to save energy is just right for Sweden. Where there are great opportunities to find progressive compromises.
He mentions otherwise the German energy transformation and environmental regeneration programs dwellings key projects where he thinks the red and green could go hand in hand. Political future projects that would both create jobs and improve the environment.
In Germany they have found a good mix. Where he husband renovated the worn apartments and got the more energy efficient. At the same time, they have created 100,000 full-time jobs. Such a thing would we do even with our Million.
While mentions he nuclear power and aviation traffic that difficult things to solve, where stands the LO far from the MP. But the call. Recently invited MP’s management to LO Board.
– We had an open and frank conversation. And we talked about that we will have discussions around the New Year.
Will the New Year’s party together?
– No, no!
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