BY JONAS ANDERSON
STOCKHOLM - Some 3,000 bus drivers stopped public transportation in the greater metropolitan area here for two hours on the morning of June 29. The drivers were protesting the attacks on conditions and wages that will accompany the projected sale of the government-run municipal public transportation system.
In the last three years the big-business privatization effort has sparked strikes and overtime bans by bus drivers. Drivers who work for already privatized lines have suffered wage cuts and worsened workingconditions.
The June 29 strike was called by the Municipal Workers Union in response to protests by the bus drivers.
At the Rasta bus depot, where 550 bus drivers are stationed, Dan Olsson, a striking driver with seven years experience, said, "I don't think the ownership is the most important thing. It is the working conditions that matter. I would lose $330-500 a month and seven vacation days, and my pension age would be raised from 65 to 67 years."
Another driver described how the work pressure has increased over the seven years she has worked there. "They don't care about us," she exclaimed. "This proposal is like selling the barn with the animals still inside."
Another driver, Patrik Larsson, said, "It's important that we not stop here. We are prepared to fight until the company withdraws its proposal."
The strike was solid throughout the city. No buses moved between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. All the drivers interviewed expressed support for the strike. Many added that they are prepared to carry the fight further.
Jonas Anderson is a member of the Municipal Workers Union and Birgitta Isacsson is a member of the Metal Workers Union, both in Stockholm.