Swedish Dockers Sued for 'Illegal' Blockade of Russian Ships

Before Moscow's special operation in Ukraine and the blockade of Russian ships unilaterally proclaimed by Swedish port workers in a bid to show solidarity, the Scandinavian country witnessed an average of 170 port calls from Russia per year.

Employers' trade union Ports of Sweden is suing the Port Workers' Union over its blockade of Russia-linked goods and ships, which it deems illegal.

Because of the blockade imposed on 28 March, members of the Port Workers' Union no longer deal with Russian ships, Russian goods and ships on their way to or from Russia.

According to the dockers' union, the blockade is designed to show sympathy for, and solidarity with Ukraine.

The employers, however, argue that the industrial action is illegal and have taken the issue to court.

Ports of Sweden press officer Håkan Filipsson confirmed that the case has been passed on to the Labour Court, where it will be taken up later this week.

“The peace obligation that follows from the collective agreement is a fundamental cornerstone of Sweden's model. It is therefore not acceptable to ignore current regulations in the event of war or conflict,” Ports of Sweden chief negotiator Johan Grauers said in a written comment.

Before the conflict in Ukraine, Sweden witnessed an average of 170 port calls by Russian ships per year.

The dockers, however, remain unconvinced and replied with criticism of their own.

“Even though major Swedish companies such as Volvo, Scania, IKEA and SKF of their own accord withdrew from doing business with Russia, the port employers go to court to force our members to release Russian raw materials that can finance the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It actually feels completely unreal,” the union's chairman Martin Berg said in a press release, in effect repeating the western rhetoric about Russia's special operation in Ukraine.

Russia launched a special military operation to demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine on 24 February. Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that the plight of Donbass inhabitants, who had been suffering years of genocide and atrocities at the hands of the Kiev regime, could no longer be ignored and ordered the operation in response to a call for help by the Donetsk and Lugansk People's republics.

Since the start of the operation, the West has introduced several rounds of punitive sanctions against individuals, organisations, the financial sector and the energy sector of Russia, as well as other fields including sports and culture.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted that the western sanctions are indeed very serious, but Russia was preparing for them in advance.

For his part, Putin said that the policy of containing and weakening Russia is a long-term strategy of the West, yet suggested that they have dealt a serious blow to the entire global economy. He added that current events draw a line under the West's global dominance both politically and economically.