Employees who fall asleep in machines, inhale black dust and feel unwell – more and more people are testifying to a bad working environment at Northvolt in Skellefteå. Siri Almqvist herself chose to quit.
“I often sat and cried”, she says.
Three people have died after work shifts at Northvolt’s factory in Skellefteå, and the police have opened a preliminary investigation into the deaths.
An investigation by Daily News (Dagens Nyheter) shows clear shortcomings in the working environment at the battery company Northvolt. Since 2019, at least 26 serious accidents have occurred in Northvolt’s facilities in Skellefteå, Västerås and Poland.
Filippa, whose real name is something else, has been working at the battery factory in Skellefteå for several years and testifies to major shortcomings in the working environment. She wants to remain anonymous as she is, among other things, afraid of losing her job.
Some are in the chemicals eight hours a day, no one knows what that means, she says.
Siri was a security agent: “There is no priority on security”
Siri Almqvist was previously a security representative at Northvolt. She sees clear flaws in the lack of the Swedish model and safety.
If we don’t follow our rules with, for example, getting enough breaks, then safety suffers, she says, telling us that people have fallen asleep while working on machines in the battery factory.
When she raised shortcomings in her trade union role, she experienced that her immediate managers, often people from other countries, worked against her.
It will be a culture clash, but I understand that. There, Northvolt has a huge responsibility to explain how it works,
says Siri Almqvist.
Veronica Lindsköld worked at the factory for two years, and she has talked about the stress and pressure she experienced in a previous interview.
I fell asleep on the toilet floor because I was so exhausted, she says.
Northvolt: “Has serious things to work on on environment”
In an email to SVT, Northvolt’s communications manager Matti Kataja writes that Northvolt is a union-affiliated company that works according to the Swedish model.
“All managers with personnel responsibility attend mandatory training on employer responsibility, safety for employees and work environment legislation.
We see no contradiction between having ambitious growth targets and at the same time having serious work environment work. Growth does not happen at the expense of security,” he writes, among other things.
The deaths don’t surprise Siri
The three unexplained deaths have affected Siri a lot. One of the deceased worked in the same department as her.
There are so many thoughts and feelings. I get frustrated, but unfortunately not surprised, she says.
NORTVOLT’S RESPONSE IN ITS ENTIRETY (expand)
“Northvolt is a union-affiliated company that works according to the Swedish model. All managers with personnel responsibility attend mandatory training on employer responsibility, employee safety and work environment legislation. We work closely with the unions to highlight their role and make our collaboration visible.
But we are also an international company with great diversity among employees and managers, and we are proud to associate the best experts from all over the world.
In order to be employed with us, we require you to be able to speak English. We use English as a working language precisely to overcome language barriers,
which works well. Right from day one, new employees receive training in work environment and safety that is directly adapted to our business.
We see no contradiction between having ambitious growth targets and at the same time having serious work environment work. Growth does not come at the expense of safety.
Right from day one, new employees receive training in work environment and safety that is directly adapted to our business. Of course, we also ensure that all people have the protective clothing and equipment required for the specific role, task and area in which they work.
Everything can always be improved,
it is the basic premise of systematic work environment work. But we are confident that the protective clothing we have today is absolutely sufficient to ensure the health and well-being of our employees.”
