Prior to IF Metall’s First Ordinary Congress in mid-May, ICEM’s Swedish affiliate held a charged and enthusiastic two-day conference entitled “Decent Working Conditions for All – Fair and Just Globalization.” The conference, held 11-12 May in Stockholm, brought together hundreds of local Swedish trade union representatives with international union leaders.
In opening the conference, IF Metall National President Stefan Löfven stressed that the 400,000-member union favours global free trade, but only if free trade ensures good and favourable work conditions for all. The conference heard from Jan Eliasson, chairman of Sweden’s Social Democratic Party’s Foreign Affairs Advisory Committee, and Kari Tapiola, Assistant Director-General of the ILO.