Instead of Merry Christmas, you can use Happy Weekend, the company believes. Which The Express was the first to report.
“It is important to realize that our colleagues can celebrate different holidays. December is filled with various cultural, religious and secular holidays. By using ‘good weekend’ or saying both, ‘Merry Christmas and happy weekend’, we can ensure that everyone feels included, the company writes on its intranet.
At SSAB in Svartöstaden in Luleå, the call has not gone unnoticed.
– I think it’s a bit ridiculous. If you don’t want to celebrate Christmas, you don’t have to eat, says intern Albin Strömgren.
SD: “A betrayal of our own culture”
The Sweden Democrats have also noted the steel giant’s advice to its employees – and the party reacts with emphasis.
“That a partially state-owned company like SSAB proposes to replace “Good Christmas” with “Good Weekend” in order to “include” others, is nothing more than a betrayal of our own culture, SD writes on its official Facebook page and continues:
“We should not adapt to those who do not share our traditions. In Sweden we say Merry Christmas. Point”.
SSAB has received positive reactions
SVT has tried to reach SSAB’s press secretary Anna Molin without success. The news has had a big impact and she responds the tones of Expressen.
– SSAB is a global company with operations in several countries and employees from different cultures. Internationally, there have been mostly positive reactions, but some in Sweden have perceived it negatively, she tells the newspaper and points out that it is not forbidden to wish Merry Christmas.