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What is this?
Kvasten, (”The Broom”) is a monthly newsletter published by
a group of concerned union
members at Volvo Cars final assembly plant at Torslanda in Gothenborg, Sweden.
It is a paper by and for workers at
the plant. We who publish Kvasten are fed up with constant
rationalizations which only mean that we must work harder and faster
to make up for jobs that are eliminated. We are fed up harsh demands
that jeopardize our health and safety. We are fed up with bosses who
bark orders instead of discussing things respectfully. We are fed up
with managers who are always blaming us when it’s their own
decisions that cause the problems.
Everyone who has ever swept
a staircase knows that you have to start from the top. Our management
does the opposite when they go for us on the bottom step.
We
think that there is an urgent need to speak up against the company;
to openly debate with management and demand that they treat us
with respect; to point out that the stairs have to be swept from the
top down.
We have started Kvasten to talk back to management
and spread information between different parts of the plant. Volvo
Cars is owned by the Chinese company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. The plant in Torlanda, Gothenburg is the
biggest plant in the Nordic countries with its 3 000 blue collar
workers and consists of a body plant (stamping, welding and painting)
and a final assembly plant. In the final assembly plant about 1 500
blue collar workers work on three shifts. We who publish Kvasten are members
of the union IF Metall, that represents 450,000 blue collar
industrial workers all over Sweden. The Volvo Cars Local, organizes the blue collar
workers of Geely owned Volvo Cars. We don’t intend to update this site in English
but if you have any questions you are welcome to get in touch via
e-mail:
kvastentips@hotmail.com
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