Three Swedish unions have written to Spotify requesting formal collective bargaining negotiations on behalf of its employees in its home country.
Sveriges Ingenjörer [Engineers of Sweden], Unionen and Akavia want to jointly negotiate with Spotify, and under Swedish laws those negotiations must now begin following their petition.
“Spotify’s technical solutions have revolutionized the way sound is consumed. Now is the time for the company to break new ground as an employer by signing a collective agreement,” said Sveriges Ingenjörer chair Ulrika Lindstrand in a statement.
News site The Local noted that Spotify is the second tech company to be petitioned for this by the three unions, following payments company Klarna earlier this year.
“It is both a way of extending a hand and at the same time giving a clear push in the right direction,” said Lindstrand.
Spotify’s most high-profile previous brush with unions came when staff at its Gimlet and Parcast podcasting subsidiaries unionised – with their representatives later offering biting criticism of the company’s efforts to restructure those divisions.
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