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In June, a Swedish court acquitted all those accused in connection with the construction lift collapse in Sundbyberg, where five construction workers lost their lives in December 2023. For Byggnads, the Swedish Building Workers' Union, and the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW), the ruling is impossible to accept.
More than two years after the accident, the families of the victims are still left without answers.
"This is nothing short of scandalous. Five workers lost their lives, and nobody is being held responsible. The acquittal exposes the fundamental problem in construction: nobody takes responsibility for the whole project," said Kim Söderström, President of Byggnads.
The questions raised by the ruling extend far beyond Sweden.
This week, trade unions in Belgium will gather at the site where five construction workers lost their lives when a school under construction collapsed in Antwerp in 2021. Five years later, responsibility can still not be established.
Different countries. Different projects. The same question remains unanswered: how can workers lose their lives at work, and nobody be held responsible?
"The similarities between Sundbyberg and Antwerp should concern policymakers across Europe. These are not isolated problems, but systemic failures we see again and again. When tragedy strikes, nobody seems to know what happened further down the chain. Intermediaries disappear and main contractors hide behind their lawyers”, said Tom Deleu, General Secretary of EFBWW.