Yesterday it was announced that IF Metall's federal board will remove the newly elected chairman of the union's department Råjärn at SSAB in Luleå.
The reason?
He is involved in the Sweden Democrats - who are furious at the decision.
- Just because he has the wrong party book, he gets rid of the assignment and I think that is completely wrong.
The Sweden Democrats want the unions to be politically independent, SD's labor market policy spokesman Magnus Persson told SVT.
"A social democratic organization"
The S-labeled political scientist Stig-Björn Lunggren points out, however, that the LO unions, which include IF Metall, are not a party-politically neutral organization at all.
- It is, rightly, a Social Democratic organization that has made exceptions for left-wing parties, he says and adds:
- This is one of the great paradoxes.
People join a trade union organization that has a party-political orientation that they themselves do not have.
"Can strike back at both IF Metall and S"
The Sweden Democrats are strong among metalworkers.
And the question is whether the federal board's decision can backfire on the Social Democrats in the autumn elections.
If you ask Stig-Björn Ljunggren, the answer is no:
- This will not drive out voters, but it will make it difficult to bring back voters, he says and adds:
– De som har de här åsikterna har nog redan stuckit. Det som det här gör är att låsa fast dem i deras nya politiska vistelseort.
Statsvetaren Jenny Madestam har dock en annan åsikt:
– Ja, definitivt. En betydande del väljare har lämnat S för just SD och att på det här sättet utesluta på grund av partitillhörighet kan slå tillbaka mot såväl IF Metall som S.
SVT Nyheter har sökt Socialdemokraternas partisekreterare Tobias Baudin, som avböjer att kommentera.
”Det är först och främst en fråga för IF Metall att hantera och kommentera”, skriver hans pressekreterare Julia Grabe i ett sms.
Statsvetaren om petade SD-metallaren: ”Kan definitivt slå tillbaka på Socialdemokraterna”