Union announces strike at gambling company King

King, which among other things develops the popular mobile game Candy Crush Saga, has around 550 employees in Sweden. The company lacks a collective agreement, but since just over a year ago, the Union and Sweden's Engineers have been waiting for one to be signed.

- There have been constructive negotiations, but King declined shortly after midsummer, says Camilla Frankelius, head of negotiations at Sweden's Engineers, which has around 100 members at the company.

Both unions have now issued a joint strike notice. The dispute measures will take effect on September 25 if they do not reach a resolution with the company before then. A mediator from the Mediation Institute has been appointed to manage the negotiations between the parties.

- The ultimate goal is that there should not be a strike, and in that case the mediator is of course very important. But it also requires us parties to engage in constructive discussions and negotiations, says Camilla Frankelius.

King states that after "careful evaluation" they chose not to sign a collective agreement in Sweden, and stands by that decision with the justification that they already offer competitive employment conditions.

"We are confident that our benefits and conditions are in line with, or exceed, what would be offered through a collective agreement. We have also built up a constructive dialogue with our local union representatives," King's chief operating officer Ulrika Höjgård writes in a statement.

Camilla Frankelius says that the issue is bigger than that.

- One of the reasons why our members want a collective agreement is the opportunities for influence that it provides. It's a bit tougher industry now and there have been cutbacks. Then the collective agreement also offers a lot of support in the event of unemployment.

About 80 percent of the employees at King's offices in Stockholm and Malmö are members of one of the two unions, according to their own information.

The day after the news of the strike announcement, representatives from the trade unions stood and handed out information leaflets outside the Stockholm office. Henrik Jönsson, who is vice chairman of the local Unionenklubben, testifies to some concern among the employees.

- Many of us have never heard of a strike notice before, so it feels both interesting and worrying at the same time, he says and adds:

- We don't really want a strike, but we have to be prepared to go there.

Henrik Jönsson shares the description that they had a constructive dialogue with the employer, but that they could not agree on the issue of collective agreements.

- The primary thing for us is to get more co-determination in the workplace, he says.

Have you met any colleagues who are against calling a strike?

- If you take a group of 500 people, there will always be someone who disagrees. But we have broad and great support from the majority of all King employees in Sweden.