The taxi giant's message: Open for a dialogue with the union

The sea of ​​turquoise electric cars in a lonely parking lot that DN found north of Stockholm was an indication that the taxi giant Green SM is preparing to launch its taxi business in Sweden.

Green SM now confirms in an email that the company is about to start operations. The venture is described as a "long-term investment" and the goal is "safe and high-quality" services to contribute to Sweden's transition to a greener transport industry, according to Richard Nabil Chahine, European head of Green SM.

Launched in March 2023, taxi company Green SM is part of Vietnamese businessman Pham Nhat Vuong who has been described as Southeast Asia's richest man. Green SM has in a short time expanded from Vietnam and surrounding countries to India, the USA and Denmark.

When Green SM has appeared in ads with AI-generated images on social media, the criticism has been somewhat sharp. Comments indicate a concern that the taxi giant will dump prices in Sweden and worsen conditions for Swedish taxi drivers. There is also some concern at the Transport trade union:

- It is an industry that is already over-established. Then an entrepreneur comes in who has a lot of capital and money behind him. I am afraid that it will knock out established companies, said ombudsman Mats Andersson earlier.

Green SM's Richard Nabil Chahine believes that the intention is to respect Swedish rules.

"We understand that it requires respect for both laws and the Swedish labor market model to have operations in Sweden," he writes in the email in English. He continues: "Green SM intends to follow the applicable rules and respect the right of employees to join the union".

At the same time, Richard Nabil Chahine opens to discuss with the various parties in the labor market:

"We are open to a dialogue with organizations that represent both employees and employers in Sweden with the goal of creating suitable working conditions and long-term job-related relationships."

At the moment, Green SM does not reveal exact details about how many cars or drivers they will have in Sweden.