Eurovision 2016 – A story in today’s Swedish newspaper, Aftonbladet, suggests the Eurovision broadcast could be at risk as SVT’s employees’ union announced a strike to start on the 18th April, which could involve 50 ESC crew members. Only news programs are safe when 800 of SVT’s employees are on strike in less than two weeks. The Union has given notice to 10,000 members on strike from 18 April. Collective bargaining negotiations between the trade union, and the employers’ association ALMEGA have stalled over pay increases and pension contributions.
Out of the 800 of these employees employed at SVT, 50 of them are said to be working on the Eurovision preparation including carpenters who build the stage, television cameramen, sound engineers and editorial employees.
This week, SVT’s Eurovision team reportedly held an emergency meeting to investigate exactly how production may be affected. SVT HR Director Helène Sahlin is reported to have said that she hopes that they will still be able to broadcast the show…!
The Eurovision Times 
:P :D
Could we have the old emoticons back please?
I haven’t changed anything, maybe WordPress has? I’ll have a look and see if I can see anything anywhere to change
Thanks, hulluna!
remember a similar strike in 1977, within the BBC, is why ESC 1977 got postponed till may
LOL
Don’t upset the working class 😉
is why nobody from working /any class in UK/me would be ::-)
The people’s right to go on a strike is sacred and I respect it.
Fully agree.
Test: (W) >-I |_| :developer: :burrito:
So I know some of the hidden smilies WordPress have made up now, but no idea how to upload my own
and thus you know I fully agree with you! ay up me duck ya in up ya winnin ya ligg, up me duck!
So, it is a wordpress thing ;)
probably!
Yet another reason to never host the contest again in Sweden.
It would be so sweetly ironic if Sweden’s contest was disrupted by a strike after the EBU went into so much trouble to keep RAI from hosting last year…
Agreed lmao :D
Seriously? Why on earth EBU would out energy on something like this? There is also other reading of this and it goes: RAI wasn’t ready and didn’t want so Sweden have to win.
LMAO
I am sure this happened with the collusion of RAI, however it doesn’t make it any better.
This perpetual assumption of innocence and purity is what I find surprising and rather amusing.
There are way too many stake holders of anything like this to happen. There is no proof what so ever but it lives on a fan fiction. EBU is not FIFA. National Brodcasters are subject to govermental governance. It’s a juicy story, but there is not even smoke. It’s folklore told in places like this to build community.
Italy 15 was schmaltz and kitch of highest order. For that they did pretty well with juries. Everyone really should get over it.
What? A strike threatening to disrupt our perfectly polished glittery surfaces? *faints*
Do you even like Eurovision? You never miss a chance to bash it. I complained like hell last year as it was so boring, but that was rage directed at one specific year, you seem to be targeting the contest as a whole.
These people are just greedy, Sweden has one of the highest wages and biggest welfare states in Europe, there’s no way this strike will go ahead. Sweden already has the title ra pe capital of the world, they could do without further embarrassment.
Luckily we won’t have none of this nonsense next year in Sochi! <3
We all do, in spite of everything. No, in Russia thet is no nonsense, there is Putinsense.
You got that wrong. We won’t have Sotchi next year. :)
And are you another one who does not understand irony? *sighs*
You are right, it won’t be Sotchi. It will be Moscow :-)
LOL Someone’s perfect and sanitized world is about to discover that life isn’t always spotless.
Who? Me?
Perhaps, I am not sure. :)
I know life isn’t always spotless, I’ve had a hard life, just because I am upbeat and fun doesn’t mean I don’t have a history.
Of course. I can only hope that the glossy and glittering powers that rule the ESC universe acknowledge that fact.
Max, don’t forget to vote in FdlC 12.