Continued cooperation between the LO and the Social Democrat Party

Today the LO Congress discussed the trade union movement’s political role and endorsed the proposal by the LO Board to continue cooperation with the Social Democrat Party. LO will also strive to give union members greater facilities for discussing ideology in order to take better advantage of political interest amongst members, in the hope that more LO union members decide to join the Social Democrat Party.
The LO Congress established that “the LO has ideological links with social democracy, which has its roots in the needs and aspirations of the working class”. The Congress also stated that each individual will of course support the party of his choice, but that “trade unions have a collective interest in closer cooperation with a political party with the same ideological vision. As unions, we see the advantages derived from a collective political standpoint and from using party politics to promote the interests of the working class.”

Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO) organises 15 unions with a union density of 76 percent of the blue collar workers. Wanja Lundby-Wedin is president of LO and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).