Per Aahlstrom's Report to COG on dramatic developments in Sweden

[John Logue <jlogue@kent.edu>]

>From: per.ahlstrom@vpress.se (Per Ahlstrom)
>To: "John Logue" <jlogue@kent.edu>
>Subject: Report to COG
>Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 11:13:55 +0200
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>Hi!
>I am a bit confused about how to participate in the discussions, as don't
know if I'm registered or not. And I haven't really bothered to delve into
the technological aspects of COG. I hope you can help me post this:
>
>
>Swedish unions reassess their positions on employee ownership.
>
>The Swedish LO, the trade union confederation, at their convention the
first week of september, unanimously and without debate endorsed a motion
to reassess the hitherto negative position of the LO on employee ownership.
The motion was also endorsed by the board of the LO. Their motivation was:
>
>"Employee ownership, the subject of motion Da7, is uncommon in Sweden. One
of the reasons might be that the labour laws have given employees other
possibilities to have influence over company governance, changes of
ownership, etc. Nevertheless it has happened that employees, as a last
resort, have become owners of a company. In the best of cases the company
has been restored and been able to survive with the help of fresh capital.
>The LO policy has been not to endorse employees to take over unprofitable
companies in receding industries. The risk of later closure - with possible
substantial economic consequenses for the owning employees - is great.
>The growth of knowledge intensive companies in the service sector has
meant that we have seen a substantial decrease in capital costs and that
company assets to an ever larger extent consist of intellectual capital
(employee knowledge, investmenets in company organization and structure,
innovation rights etc.) At the same time employee suppletments to wages and
salaries, like option programmes and employee stocks, become more and more
common. This occurs not only in the fast growing IT-sector, but also in
sectors of the economy which traditionally have been part of the public
sector, but which now are being privatized, i.e. care of children and elderly.
>These are reasons enough to once again reassess our position on employee
ownership and the possibilities of combining employee ownership with core
union demands."
>
>The convention also endorsed a proposal from the board to set up a
committee aiming to introduce a Swedish version of the Canadian labour
sponsored investment funds. Our Canadian friends had better prepare
themselves for hosting a lot of study trips from Sweden. 
>
>Per Ahlstrom
>
>


John Logue
Ohio Employee Ownership Center
Kent State University
Kent, OH 44242
(330) 672-3028
(330) 672-4063 fax
jlogue@kent.edu
http://www.kent.edu/oeoc/