Jonas Sjöstedt: In the EU Parliament, the Sweden Democrats are always on the boss’s side
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full screen In the EU Parliament, SD is always on the boss’s side. If you don’t want workers to get good wages, a good working environment and trade union rights, the Sweden Democrats are the party for you, writes Jonas Sjöstedt. Photo: TT
DEBATE. The election to the EU Parliament is a choice between left and right. Should we strengthen the rights of wage earners, increase equality between men and women, implement a fair climate transition and stop the EU’s demands for privatization in the member states – yes, in that case you should vote for the Left Party.
If you want to be on the side of bad employers, you are against trade union rights and equality and think that big companies should always be able to get their way – yes, in that case you can vote for SD.
In the EU Parliament, SD is always on the boss’s side. If you don’t want workers to get good pay, a good working environment and trade union rights, the Sweden Democrats are the party for you.
The EU has been far too much about big companies getting what they want. They must have the “freedom” to sell their goods without being hindered by complicated national rules that are supposed to protect the environment or wage earners.
The EU has pushed through deregulation of the electricity market and railways, the effect is higher electricity prices and worse functioning railways. But in a deregulated internal market counter-forces are needed to ensure that workers are not exploited and conditions are dumped.
We need rules for a good working environment and rights for wage earners. Workers from other countries must not be exploited with worse conditions when they drive trucks, clean or work on construction sites in Sweden. Both they and the Swedish workers win. Therefore, the EU election is a choice between left and right.
The same differences between the parties that exist in Swedish politics exist in the EU. In Sweden, SD and the government decide on a budget that brings brutal cuts in health care while lowering taxes for the rich.
SD reduces the A-fund in Sweden and ignores the unemployed in the EU. SD defends privatization in Sweden and in the EU.
The Left Party has made a review of how Swedish parties have voted in twelve votes in the EU Parliament in the most recent term.
The votes concern the rights of wage earners and have been important for the European trade union movement. It is about everything from women and men having the right to equal pay to companies having to take responsibility for not exploiting slave-like working conditions in other countries.
The differences between left and right are clear and easy to recognize from home.
But the Sweden Democrats stand out even when compared to the rest of the right.
I at the in the twelve examined decisive votes, SD voted no.
It’s about everything from food delivery workers and other gig workers having rights to climate change not disadvantaging low-income earners – SD votes against.
The SD stands to the right of the moderates, the Sweden Democrats are the bad employers’ dream in Brussels.
Even compared to other far-right parties, SD deviates. Even their bench mates in parliament from various racist and fascist parties do not vote as extremely hostile to wage earners as SD does. When it comes to rights at work, the Sweden Democrats are the most extreme among the extreme.
In their defence, SD usually claim that they want to defend the Swedish model. But that argument is a pretext. When the EU wants to intervene directly in the Swedish model by introducing minimum wages at EU level, all Swedish parties vote no. That is not where the difference lies.
It simply seems that SD hates that wage earners have rights in the EU – only companies should have that.
This is how you hate workers – vote for SD.
Jonas Sjöstedt, top candidate in the election to the EU Parliament (V)
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