Archive note: This text comes from the old archive of Nomika Epilekta and is preserved with care for historical and informational reading.

We often take it for granted that, in a democratic society, the right to strike is self-evident. Let us see, however, how matters stand in Sweden, a country governed for half a century by the social democrats.

The Swedish model is based on the tripartite Saltjobaden Agreement (Saltjobaden) of 1929. Saltjobaden is a suburb of Stockholm, where representatives of workers, employers, and the state met and drew up an agreement on issues of strike and lockout, with the aim of ending a prolonged period of instability, protests, strikes, and conflicts, which did not differ greatly from what we are experiencing in Greece today.

The basic principles of the Saltjobaden Agreement are the following:

  1. Strike, as well as lockout, is prohibited unless it occurs during a period of negotiations for a new collective agreement.
  2. Even during such negotiations, strike and lockout are regarded as a declaration of war; consequently, they must be the last weapon of workers or employers and not their first action, and warnings must precede them.
  3. In every case where a strike or lockout is declared, even during collective negotiations, any party may resort to the labor courts so that the legality of the action may be examined and sanctions imposed if the action is deemed unlawful.

It goes without saying that, once the collective agreement has been signed, in the event of its violation the labor courts again have the floor. It also goes without saying that the decisions of the courts are fully respected by everyone.

These principles of the Saltjobaden Agreement, which began essentially as a "gentlemen's agreement," were later incorporated into the laws of the country and now apply compulsorily. Consequently, one may say that in Sweden strike and lockout are prohibited, except in certain special cases.

The result of the Saltjobaden Agreement was the well-known Swedish miracle. Sweden, one of the poorest countries in Europe, experienced unprecedented stability and growth thanks to the social peace that followed.

Indeed, in Sweden there are almost never strikes or lockouts. All problems are solved through negotiations, and therefore every investor, for example, need not fear the destruction of his investment because of "popular struggles" and furious clashes. In Sweden, the entrepreneur can simply concentrate on his investment idea, on the way to realize it, and on the economic aspects of the venture, without fearing that labor bosses may take a dislike to him and declare war on him.

The Swedish model, which in the meantime has also been embraced by other countries in Northern Europe, would be saving for Greece, where a climate of constant conflict prevails over everything and forever. Imagine what development the country would experience if differences were resolved through dialectical discussion. Yet this is precisely the problem: here, in the land where dialectic was born, we have lost every ability to discuss any issue. Instead of dialogue, we engage in pure polemic. No one listens to what the other says, so the only outlet is threats, "mobilizations," strikes, protests, abuse, intimidation, and all related phenomena.

Only this "outlet" has already led us to a dead end...