Sweden: IUF affiliated hotel union HRF protects wages, calls off strike

HRF yesterday signed an agreement covering about 65 000 employees in the hotel and restaurant industry. The agreement critically raises minimum real salaries. It does so even for the youngest workers in the industry – something the employers sought to change through a 25% cut in the salaries of workers under 25 years old.

The last ditch agreement means a strike by HRF, supported by sympathy actions from six other Swedish unions including the IUF-affiliated Kommunal and Livs (food workers), has been called off.

Sympathy action in such cases in Sweden is protected by Swedish labour law. The threatened sympathy action by other Swedish national trade union centre (LO) unions as well as major local mobilization amongst HRF members was crucial to the union’s success according to HRF president Ella Niia.