Response to interpellation 2023/24:712 on Swedish aid and workers' rights in Ukraine
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
1 M argues that Ukraine is the largest recipient of Swedish bilateral aid and that the strategy shall contribute to productive employment with decent working conditions 1 2. M emphasizes that it is a top priority that Ukraine wins the war in order to preserve trade union rights 2. M wants to create synergies between aid and trade by mobilizing private capital and investments 2 3. M argues that the previous aid policy was too goal-oriented and that the focus is now on efficiency 3. M denies that socialism builds countries and emphasizes the need for entrepreneurship 3. M considers that the government has been transparent and shifted the course by introducing new requirements for quality and efficiency 3 4. M argues that they are breaking new ground by finding synergies between aid and trade, which is seen as a modern form of aid policy that is welcomed by developing countries 4. M emphasizes that work is underway to open up aid funds for more organizations in a results-oriented manner 3. M argues that there is already extensive support for the four largest trade union central organizations in Ukraine 4. 5 V argues that the aid should consist of additional funds beyond the existing budget 5. V emphasizes that the aid should benefit poverty reduction and the recipient's interests rather than the interests of Swedish companies 6. V argues that the government lacks clear writings on trade union work in its reform agenda and requests a strategy to strengthen trade union organizing 5 6. V criticizes the review of civil society support as agreements have been terminated before they expired 6.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Johan Forssell (M)
Mr. Speaker! Lotta Johnsson Fornarve has asked me questions concerning Swedish aid and workers' rights in Ukraine, as well as how, within the framework of Sweden's strategy for reconstruction and reform cooperation with Ukraine 2023-2027, I shall work to strengthen workers' rights and strengthen the possibilities for trade union organizing in Ukraine.
The government has shifted the Swedish aid policy and made Ukraine the largest recipient of Swedish bilateral aid. Economic development and reconstruction require investments and sustainable companies, and this presupposes good working conditions. In Sweden's strategy for reconstruction and reform cooperation with Ukraine 2023-2027, it therefore states explicitly that the activities shall contribute to productive employment with decent working conditions. Special emphasis is placed on the economic participation of vulnerable groups; this applies to women, young people, and internally displaced persons. In addition, the various programs and job-creating initiatives that Sida develops to strengthen these groups' opportunities to support themselves shall be mentioned.
Through Sida, the trade union development cooperation at Union to Union is also supported, which in turn cooperates with the four largest trade union central organizations in Ukraine. Through the support, one contributes to maintaining basic functions such as supporting negotiations and working for a safe working environment.
The strategy also seems overall to strengthen Ukraine's conditions to adapt its legislation to the EU's regulatory framework. By helping Ukraine to live up to the requirements that a future EU membership entails, Sweden supports workers' rights.
I want to conclude by underlining the great importance that the government attaches to Ukraine, the defense of the country's territorial integrity against Russian aggression and the country's opportunity for development, reconstruction and EU rapprochement. The Ukrainians shall have their freedom back.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer to my interpellation.
Of course, Vänsterpartiet takes a powerful stand against Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which violates international law. It is a war that has caused extensive devastation. Families have been torn apart, and tens of thousands of civilians have been killed or injured. Millions of Ukrainians are in flight. Ukraine must receive all the support that is needed - humanitarian, political and military - until the country again controls its entire territory and can begin to build peace.
In the government's reform agenda, the focus in aid is concentrated on Europe and, above all, Ukraine. The situation is acute, and Ukraine obviously needs international support. Vänsterpartiet argues, however, that this should take the form of additional funds beyond the existing aid budget in light of the enormous needs in Ukraine and in light of the fact that crises and needs in the rest of the world have increased. Gaza, South Sudan, Cambodia, Myanmar, Yemen, Afghanistan and Western Sahara are some serious crises that can be mentioned.
The conditions for organizing and for civil society to operate have deteriorated drastically in Ukraine, primarily as a result of the war. Ukrainian trade unions have played an important role during the war, among other things through the initiative Trade Union Lifeline, which has collected and distributed supplies, helped members receive their wages, and documented and reported on the war's destruction to the rest of the world.
Sweden has every opportunity to play an important role when it comes to humanitarian aid and support for reconstruction. In that work, support for the free trade union movement is an important part. Ensuring workers' rights in the labor market is central to laying the foundation for socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable development.
According to the World Bank, the costs of rebuilding Ukraine after the war will amount to hundreds of billions of dollars. How much will be required is difficult to say, but it is certain that enormous investments will be needed. This requires free trade unions that guarantee that economic growth will benefit more people, that the workforce is not exploited, and that corporate profits are distributed in a more just way. This is particularly important when the trend is the opposite and workers' rights are being violated all over the world.
The Minister said in his response that when it comes to the support to Ukraine, it explicitly states in the reform agenda that the activity shall contribute to productive employment with decent working conditions and that special weight shall be placed on the economic participation of vulnerable groups. This is naturally good, but I lack clear wording about the important trade union work and workers' rights in the reform agenda for the assistance. Can one rely on the government really considering that trade union work is of great importance? What strategy does the government have to strengthen this important work?
I also hope that the important support channeled through civil society organizations to the trade union movement in Ukraine will continue. It is a support that in some cases started long before the war and which has continued to be extremely significant.
I recently met a representative for the Ukrainian equivalent of the trade union ST. He emphasized the importance of strengthening trade union work as part of the process of building democracy. He stated, among other things, that trade union rights are human rights and that there is a great need to strengthen the understanding of and knowledge regarding these issues.
Statsrådet Johan Forssell (M)
Mr. Speaker! I thank Lotta Johnsson Fornarve for the interpellation.
The government has restructured the Swedish aid policy. One of the absolutely most important changes is that we have made Ukraine the largest recipient of Swedish bilateral aid. It is a development I am proud of, and I can guarantee that it is a development that will continue as long as I have anything to say about in the aid policy. But it is not enough.
On Monday and Tuesday, I was at the large Ukraine conference in Germany. There, I met President Zelenskyy and listened to his speech where he raised several issues.
Let us however remember that the most important thing is that Ukraine wins the war. Otherwise, there will be no trade union rights at all in Ukraine - or so much else for that matter. It is worth recapitulating that it is a top priority that we continue to support Ukraine with the weapons needed to be able to defend not only its own territorial integrity and freedom but ultimately also the rules-based world order we feel so strongly for.
Furthermore, Sweden is also far ahead in the development work, something that underscores the importance of not seeing aid and trade as two separate sides. This is also an important change the government has made. We have worked very purposefully to find synergies between aid policy and trade policy. This too was something President Zelenskyy explicitly highlighted in his speech: Get your companies to come to Ukraine! Give us more trade and investments! Help us to develop! I have not previously heard President Zelenskyy point it out as clearly as he did now in Berlin.
We are working a lot with this. We have, for example, introduced Ukraine guarantees so that Swedish companies can invest and opened a Swedish trade office on site to help with investments. It is obviously not easy, but we are doing our best to get this in place.
In our strategy for Ukraine, which is the largest bilateral aid strategy in Sweden's history, it also explicitly states that the activities shall contribute to productive employment with decent working conditions. Sida also has a cooperation with Union to Union, which in turn cooperates with the four largest trade union central organizations in Ukraine. It is a fine piece of work that has been ongoing for many years, since the 90s, I believe. I look forward to this work continuing, and I share Lotta Johnsson Fornarve's view that it is important that there are trade union rights and a good labor market with decent working conditions, which we also write in our strategy.
We are also clear advocates of a Ukrainian EU rapprochement. This also receives a lot of appreciation from Sweden when we meet Ukrainian ministers. We want Ukraine to become a member of the European Union as soon as possible. This work includes adapting the legislation to the EU's regulatory framework, and that in turn also includes workers' rights.
To summarize, we are working broadly and purposefully so that Ukraine will have a labor market with decent working conditions and more Swedish companies - but first and foremost so that Ukraine wins the war.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for further answers.
Of course, I agree that the most important thing is that Ukraine wins the war; there should be no doubt whatsoever about that. The opposite is, of course, completely unthinkable.
It is obviously important that Sweden develops its trade with Ukraine, but the minister makes a mistake when he mixes up aid and trade to an excessive extent. In the reform agenda for aid, there is a clear orientation towards trade and companies. I have nothing against trade, but it is not the same as aid. Aid should primarily benefit poverty reduction and the recipient's interests and not primarily benefit Swedish companies. It is very important to remember that.
It is remarkable that the government has such a great focus on companies and trade but in the reform agenda does not mention the importance of trade union work at all. It says nothing about it. If the government thinks that workers' rights and trade union work are important, how does the government want to strengthen the important trade union work in Ukraine? I want to hear the minister elaborate on that.
Many Ukrainians go to work despite the bombs falling, and the union has an important role in protecting workers and supporting their war-affected families. To rebuild Ukraine, it will require strong trade union organizations and, not least, that the jobs created have good conditions.
The Minister also mentions the important support provided through the trade union development cooperation at Union to Union, which in turn cooperates with four large trade union central organizations in Ukraine. An example of such a cooperation is that which is supported by Fackförbundet ST. It is a project that aims to include young trade union activists. The purpose of the project is to support the network for young trade union activists in their work to strengthen the youth's voice in the trade union movement.
I still want to know if the minister has any plan for how he wants to work to strengthen the possibilities for trade union organizing in Ukraine.
Now the minister said that, but I really hope that the support for civil society when it concerns trade union work in the world and in Ukraine in particular will not decrease now that a review is taking place of the aid channeled through civil society. This review has created great concern among all organizations within civil society due to lack of clarity. There is every reason to direct criticism at the review, primarily because entered agreements have been terminated before the contract period has expired.
In an article in Svenska Dagbladet, the minister, together with the Christian Democrats' Gudrun Brunegård, writes that the new model will, of course, be developed with the ambition to avoid harmful uncertainty and enable continuity and long-term perspective in the important work that civil society performs.
Does that mean that entered agreements will not be jeopardized and that entered agreements will be allowed to run out their contract period? Multi-year agreements have now been terminated as a result of the review.
Statsrådet Johan Forssell (M)
Mr. Speaker! Lotta Johnsson Fornarve is calling for words in various strategies. Of course, one can always discuss whether to write concise and more focused strategies or whether to spread oneself out, which perhaps has been common in the past.
I have enjoyed counting the number of goals in the aid policy that the red-green government left behind. It was quite a substantial task, and it resulted in two different figures: almost 400 goals or alternatively almost 700 goals. Let me be humble in saying that I still do not know which of these figures is correct, but I can nevertheless state that it was very many goals. In a situation where everything is prioritized, one can ask what priority actually is. This was perhaps the prototype for the red-green aid policy, but now we have left it and are breaking new ground when we instead focus our work.
Let me answer like this: I let the results speak for themselves. We provide support to the four largest trade union central organizations in Ukraine, and we have developed the largest bilateral aid strategy in Sweden's history in favor of Ukraine. But we realize that this will not be enough.
It is remarkable that the Left Party does not listen more to what President Zelenskyy says. He says all the time that Ukraine must get more foreign investors, more trade, more job creation and more entrepreneurship.
I have never heard anyone say that more socialism would build Ukraine, or any other country for that matter, strongly. It is precisely why we are restructuring the aid policy. We are creating a more modern aid where we merge this and use aid funds in a more efficient way than before. Very much continues to be as it has been, our humanitarian support and our development cooperation, but we must break new ground. We cannot just do as we have always done.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve is an experienced aid policy Member of Parliament and knows that many countries that have received enormous sums in Swedish aid over several decades continue to be dependent on aid and in reality are as poor today as they were 30-40 years ago. We must take this to heart and think in new ways, not least in Ukraine where it is so obvious that we must mobilize more private capital. One cannot just say it and then believe that the job is done, but one must also take measures for this, which we are now doing.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve asks a question about our civil society support. The Government has stated that the support to civil society organizations shall increase as a share of the aid budget. This will happen, and the work has already begun.
But we must also ask ourselves how these funds are channeled. Do we achieve the greatest effect by working in the previous way? Can we increase the transparency of the aid, which has indeed decreased in recent years with the red-green government?
It is in that light that this work should be seen. Work is ongoing here. We have been very transparent from the government's side. One can easily Google the different milestones that exist in this work.
I note that Sida has now initiated work to screen organizations. We hope that more organizations will be able to gain access to aid funds in this way - as there have been quite few previously - that one can open it up and make it more results-oriented and more transparent. As for the details, that is something Sida has to account for. It is their agency work.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)
Mr. Speaker! Of course, Ukraine shall continue to receive our full support in various ways. There is no upper limit to that support. Of course, we shall ensure that investments come into Ukraine.
However, one must not confuse this with the aid, trade, and investments that the minister performs. Aid has different goals than trade. It is incredibly important to remember that. It is also important to support civil society and the building of democracy in the country and to prepare for the day the country finally has control over its territory.
I miss the clear writings about the important trade union work and workers' rights in the reform agenda for the assistance. I do not think it is a small matter that one can just talk away. There is nothing about this in the reform agenda, and I think it is a major deficiency.
One might wonder if one can truly trust that the government considers the trade union work to be of great weight and importance. I would still like to hear what strategy the government has intended in such cases when it comes to specifically Ukraine.
I also hope that the important trade union support channeled through civil society organizations to the trade union movement in Ukraine will continue. I think I am getting indications of that, and it is positive. It is a support that is extremely important and which started long before the war and which continues to be extremely important.
I did not, however, receive a proper answer to the question regarding the agreements for civil society organizations. If one does not want to cause any harm and wants to ensure continuity and long-term perspective in the work that civil society performs, I still wonder: Will the long-term agreements that have been terminated be allowed to continue until the end of the contract period? I would like to have an answer to that.
Statsrådet Johan Forssell (M)
Mr. Speaker! I want to repeat what I have said: This government has changed the course for Swedish aid policy. We are introducing new requirements for quality and efficiency. We are breaking new ground when it comes to finding synergies with the important trade policy and when it comes to aid and trade being linked.
This is a development that many developing countries, in particular, view very positively. They call for more foreign direct investment in all contexts and welcome this. They see it as a modern form of aid policy and something extremely positive. This applies not only to Ukraine but also in Southeast Asia and in Africa. I, for example, have just returned from Zambia. There, one sees the opportunity with this. They want to have the opportunity to stand on their own feet. That requires more trade, business, and entrepreneurship.
I am meeting with a very great appreciation for the fact that we are now breaking new ground from Sweden's side, because we are a large and serious actor in these aid policy contexts. I can only regret that Vänsterpartiet still does not see the opportunities in finding the synergies between aid and trade.
Regarding the interpellation that Lotta Johnsson Fornarve has submitted to me, which concerns the trade union development cooperation in Ukraine, we already have extensive support today, where the four largest trade union central organizations in Ukraine receive Swedish aid funds.
I envision that this important work will continue and that we will ensure that Ukraine, when the time is ripe and the country fulfills the requirements regarding, among other things, workers' working conditions, will also be able to become a full member of the European Union. A great deal of that work lies, naturally, in Ukraine's own hands.
I thank Lotta Johnsson Fornarve for this interpellation.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.