Union’s Demand: No New Swedish Nuclear Power

The construction workers’ union Byggnads has decided to oppose any further expansion of nuclear power in Sweden. The decision was made during the union’s congress in Malmö after delegates voted yes to a motion from the Stockholm-Gotland Region. This also means the union says no to government support measures intended to finance new nuclear power projects.

Several arguments against nuclear power were raised during the debate. Supporters of the motion pointed, among other things, to experiences from the war in Ukraine, arguing that nuclear facilities can become vulnerable targets in armed conflicts. They also highlighted long-term issues regarding nuclear waste management, and claimed that investments in nuclear risk crowding out efforts towards renewable energy sources.

Niklas Arenander from Region East argued that Sweden already has access to sufficient electricity production, referring to the country’s large-scale electricity exports. He described nuclear power as a costly alternative and pointed out that the issue of safe final storage for nuclear waste remains unresolved. According to him, there is a risk that future generations will have to bear part of the cost.

The union’s board agreed that the energy transition should primarily be based on wind, hydro, and solar power, but was against a categorical no to future nuclear power. Board representative Jim Sundelin warned that the union risks restricting its options by locking itself into a fixed energy policy position.

However, the congress chose to follow the line of the motion’s supporters. According to Byggnadsarbetaren, the vote ended 98 to 73 in favor of the opponents of nuclear power.

This decision means that Byggnads, which has over 100,000 members and is one of Sweden’s largest LO-affiliated unions, now officially takes a stance against both new nuclear power and public financial support for nuclear power expansion. The congress is the union’s highest decision-making body and sets the long-term direction of its work.

Israel Boycott

Another widely noted decision at the congress was Byggnads throwing its support behind demands for a boycott of Israel. The decision was made after motions from members and regions referring to the war in Gaza and the humanitarian situation faced by the Palestinians.

With this, the union joins the growing segment of the Swedish labor movement calling for stricter economic and political measures against Israel.

Supporters of the boycott argued that the labor movement has a responsibility to act internationally when human rights are violated. They believed that economic pressure can be a way to influence developments and express solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Critics warned at the same time that unions risk being drawn into foreign policy conflicts and questioned how effective such measures actually are.

The decision places Byggnads among the Swedish unions that, in recent years, have taken an increasingly active position on the Palestine issue. The question of an Israel boycott has also been controversial within several other LO-affiliated unions, where similar motions have sometimes been voted down and, in other cases, led to compromise solutions or stronger statements on solidarity with the Palestinian territories.