In February, Helgeson was laid off and defamed as a threat to national security in a company press release following legal collective industrial action. These accusations, obviously aimed at stopping his union work, were immediately dismissed by Swedish authorities and replaced by new baseless claims of misconduct during negotiations dating back to 2020 and 2023.

Since the legal preceedings started, the employers have made several attempts to strip Erik of his right to pay from DFDS-owned Gothenburg Roro Terminal while he is awaiting trial. The first attempt failed back in July, but the employers immediately launched a new petition, claiming that parts of the case should be dismissed due to technicalities.

The Labour Court’s latest interim decision was published yesterday, the 17th of December. In a highly political ruling, the court accepted the deceitful games played by the employers during the final negotiations and deemed some parts of the case inadmissable due to the statute of limitations. The Labour Court’s decision was not unanimous.

In practice, the decision means that Erik is now officially unemployed awaiting trial. The Labour Court will still try the accusations of wrongful dismissal, hindering of a union representative and violations of trade union rights in the later part of 2026.

However, even if the employers are convicted, Erik and the SDU can only be awarded finacial damages. Erik can no longer win back his job as a dockworker in the port.

Following yesterday’s interim decision from the Labour Court, the SDU’s National Board today made clear that the union will never accept an order where the employers dictate who negotiates and speaks publically on behalf of the dockworkers. That decision is up to the membership alone, and they have already made their choice through democratic elections.

Therefore, the SDU has decided to employ Erik directly until the court case is finished next year. After that, the membership will decide on the formation of the future organisation. Whatever happens, Erik will carry out his responsibilities until the end of his term in 2028.

The SDU will also immediately initiate an international fundraising campaign. The purpose is dual:

The SDU is an independent national union active in a country with a lot of ports but with comparatively few dockworkers. We need to strengthen pur finances to absorb higher costs during this onslaught on our union activities and democratic rights.

We are also asking for support from fellow dockworkers and civil society to send a clear message to the port employers that union-busting will not pay off. We are many and we will not back down.