Unionen wants to negotiate a collective agreement with Klarna, but the company is resistant. Lachlan Marks, senior software engineer at Klarna, has a hard time understanding why. ”We're only asking for what almost all working Swedes have,” he says, suggesting it would also strengthen the company. ”It is a stamp of quality for an employer.”
Published 18 October 2023
Earlier this year, Unionen requested negotiations with Klarna for a collective bargaining agreement, CBA, after many employees expressed a desire for it. However, the company is resisting.
"I honestly don't understand why. It's not a strange request we're making; it's something that almost all employees in Sweden have," says Lachlan Marks, who is a senior software engineer at Klarna.
Lachlan Marks has been working at the company for nearly two years. He is Australian but had a dream of living and working in Europe. So when Klarna advertised the position, Lachlan saw an opportunity to move here, something he hasn't regretted.
"I have great flexibility in my job, which allows me to travel around and see different parts of the country. The job is challenging, which I like. But the best part is all the highly intelligent people working here. Klarna has really succeeded in attracting top talent."
Back in Australia, he worked in software development in telecommunications, but he never thought about joining a union there.
"In Australia, there are hardly any unions for us professionals, especially for those working in IT. Even among workers, few are members of a union."
He says that at one time, the country had a high level of unionization, but, as in the United States, there was a deliberate effort by the business sector to reduce union membership.
"I would say they achieved their desired result. Employees are generally quite vulnerable in the job market as labor laws have been progressively weakened. For example, so-called 'casual work' is common in Australia, where you work without a contract and can be terminated for no specific reason at all."
Lachlan joined Unionen in the summer of 2022, shortly after the company announced that ten percent of the staff would be laid off.
"I wasn't affected, fortunately, but I saw how the union was there and supported others with advice and information. Many colleagues had nowhere else to turn."
He was recently elected to the board of the Unionen club at Klarna. He says that if he joined Unionen to access the support the union can provide, he joined the board to be able to help others.
"I knew some of the board members from before and saw how much they worked voluntarily on this, so I thought that if I had the opportunity to be of assistance, I wanted to be."
Do you find the club to be a support for its members?
"Yes, and sometimes I think just knowing that we're here, just a Slack message away, is enough."
You think Klarna should sign a CBA with Unionen. Why?
"Klarna is a fast-growing company that often undergoes changes and chooses new paths. It can be good but also bad. We employees are rarely informed about organizational changes, new hirings, or when certain individuals are promoted. With a collective agreement, we employees would have a greater say in these matters, which I believe would also be beneficial for the company."
Do all employees want a collective agreement?
"No, some are concerned that we might lose the great benefits we have. But the collective agreement doesn't prevent the company from providing us with good benefits; they just can't withdraw them arbitrarily."
Lachlan believes that a CBA would also be good for the company. Long-time employees have told him that when Klarna first came, it was a sign of a reliable e-commerce company if it offered payments through Klarna.
"In the same way, I think a CBA would be a mark as quality for the company: here you have a fair employer who plays by the rules.
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"We seek influence, secure conditions and the possibility of outplacement service. We've waited long enough. Unionen members at Klarna want to establish a collective agreement," said Sen Kanner, chairman of Unionen's Klarna club.
The effort to secure a collective agreement at Klarna has been ongoing for several years. In 2020, members formed a club at Klarna with the aim of establishing a collective agreement.
"For Unionen, it is self-evident that companies operating in Sweden have collective agreements, and negotiations on agreements for Klarna members have been ongoing since March.
Klarna has repeatedly cancelled and postponed previously scheduled negotiation sessions throughout this process. They have also failed to fulfill agreed commitments. Unfortunately, we see no other option but to issue a strike notice," said Martin Wästfelt, Unionen's chief negotiator.
Unionen's view is that Klarna is concerned about the employee influence that a collective agreement entails.
"We are not willing to condition the signing of a collective agreement on reduced employee influence. However, there is both the opportunity and a willingness on Unionen's part to adapt local cooperation to the company's model, but first, we want to have a collective agreement in place," said Martin Wästfelt.
If no agreement is reached, the strike notice will take effect on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at 10:30 am.
"Our hope is that we can reach an agreement before a conflict erupts. Our door is open for us to reach a collective agreement," said Martin Wästfelt.
