Cleaners victory at Berns

Previously three members had been sacked by the company NCA contracted for cleaning the posh establishment. All three have now been rehired, says negotiators from Västerorts and Solna locals of SAC. ---- NCA and the employers confederation Almega, who initially refused to negotiate with the syndicalists, were forced to return to the negotiation table 3rd of april after a conflict running for more than a month. ---- The first blockade was held the 26th of february and during the following month many syndicalists from Stockholm and other towns shown their solidarity by taking part in the blockades.

Blockades during friday and saturday nights, when Berns attracts much of their
business, made the pressure to much to bear for NCA. After this NCA
agreed to all initial conditions presented by the cleaners and their
union and they could all return to work.

The conflict had an ugly foreplay when the workers, who initially had
recieved contracts stating that they had permanent jobs, but at the
same time having 0 per cent employment time. This is in violation of
the LAS law ("law of employment security"). SAC managed to change
their employment status when all of the sudden they were fired. One of
them had just applied for parental leave and recieved a notice of
getting the sack. The third member at Berns who had just lost his job
didn't even have to be sacked. He still worked under the precarious
contract with 0 per cent guaranteed tim eon the job. NCA just stopped
assigning him hours.

The syndicalist answer to the NCA violation of labor laws was
organizing "soft" and "hard" blockades every week. Hundreds of guests
sympathized and agreed not to take their money to Berns. Often
everything was calm and well, but one night some guests tried to use
violence against the picketeers - which the police officers present
chose not to notice. The police also tried to break up hard blockades
for some nights, arresting a couple of picketeers under suspicion of
criminal conversion.

The three syndicalists are all happy to be back on the job and also
that one of them now can use his right to paternal leave. They are now
back on the job with all rights guaranteed, now organized in a SAC
section and with useful experiences of struggle. Now the bosses will
think twice before attacking syndicalists again.

Solna LS av SAC
Address: Skogsbacken 13 NB, 172 41 Sundbyberg.
Phone: 08-290585
E-mail: solna.ls@sac.se
Hemsida: www.sac.se/LS/Solna

Västerorts LS av SAC
Address: Fredrika Bremers Gata 5, 129 50 Hägersten
Telefon: 073-969 42 68
E-mail: vasterorts.ls@sac.se