The train drivers on Stockholm’s commuter trains do not want to drive the trains alone. The decision to remove the train attendants on board has led to protests and sick leave – but now the conflict has escalated even further. The train drivers are threatening a three-day strike starting at 03.00 from Monday if the train attendants are not brought back. “Our demand is to: Get train values back in the cabin, in security service, for our and the passengers’ safety. If we get our demand through, we will call off the strike,” they write on the Facebook page Wild strike on the pendulum. They also write that they raised the problem for two years but were not listened to by the company MTR, which manages the commuter train traffic. – This is what happens when there are people in ties who don’t know anything about trains who make the decisions, says an anonymous train driver to TV4 Nyheterna. “Responsible for 1,800 people” Many train drivers have experienced stress around accidents that can happen when they no longer receive relief from the train attendants. – I am responsible for 1,800 people when I drive the train and we enter the track area at 200 kilometers per hour. Anything can go wrong, says a train driver who has worked at MTR for just over four years, and who does not want to be named. He further says that they tried to get managers, managers’ managers and politicians to listen but were not heard. Therefore, a strike is seen as the only option. MTR responds The train company MTR operates the commuter trains on behalf of SL and ultimately the Stockholm region. There they reply that the decision to remove the train attendants was political. – Our goal is to have a dialogue with our employees and ensure that as many as possible follow the current agreement, says press officer at MTR Commuter Trains Niklas Ekström. He further says that MTR’s management feels confident that the train drivers have the right training and skills. However, the Seko train drivers’ club distances itself from the strike. – It is a duty of peace and you choose to carry out an illegal strike instead of waiting for a legal strike, says vice president Melissa Svenhard to Expressen.
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