Swedish fintech Klarna dodges a strike after reaching agreement with workers

Fintech giant Klarna has reached an agreement with workers that were set to strike next week, the company told TechCrunch today.

Klarna employees were planning to strike next week in the fintech’s home country of Sweden, as reported by tech.eu. 

The dispute was reportedly over the lack of a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) — a written legal contract between an employer and a union representing the employees. Nearly 90% of all employees in Sweden are covered by terms and conditions of various CBAs, but Klarna employees were among the 10% that were not.

Via email, Klarna CEO and co-founder Sebastian Siemiatkowski told TechCrunch on Friday that “after an intense week of negotiations,” the company had reached an agreement to join the Banks Employer Organisation by January 1, 2024. The company also reached an agreement with the union Finansförbundet “to sign a CBA that will also include members of all unions belonging to the central organization Saco.” Saco is the Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations. According to its website, it has nearly 1 million members.

Siemiatkowski added that during the negotiations, Klarna had a particular focus on the collaboration agreement, “which regulates how we will work together.”

“I am pleased that we have reached an agreement that combines Klarna’s agility with the clarity of the Swedish model. Our focus in the negotiations has been to secure operational freedom, to continue being able to make quick decisions and to cultivate our unique and successful culture,” he said. “I am confident that we will benefit from this agreement and that Klarna can contribute to making the Swedish model stronger from the inside.”

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