Unions threaten strike against Sweden's Skanska

STOCKHOLM (MarketWatch) -- Up to 2,000 employees at Swedish construction company Skanska (SKA-B.SK) could be affected by an industry union strike that may begin next week, a spokeswoman for the company said Friday. The Swedish construction workers' union, Byggnads, last week gave notice of a strike, which will be implemented in two stages unless the union can reach a deal on a new collective agreement with the employers' organisation Sveriges Byggindustrier. In total, about 3,000 union members could go on strike. Skanska spokeswoman Mia Trahn said. Some 700 Skanska employees would be directly affected by the strike, and the company estimates that another 200 won't be able to work if the strike comes into effect. In addition, about 1,000 Skanska employees would be indirectly affected if the strike is expanded to include operators of cranes and concrete pump trucks, Trahn said. "It is too early to estimate the financial consequences, but of course it would be costly. We are talking about millions," Trahn told Dow Jones Newswires. The strike announced by Byggnads will be implemented in two stages. The first stage will start on March 7, and the second will begin on March 14, if no agreement is reached by then. Mediators are now working on a proposal, which is expected to be presented to the parties this weekend. Should the strike start next week, Skanska peers NCC AB (NCC-A.SK) and Peab AB (PEAB-B.SK), along with almost 40 other construction companies, will also be affected. NCC spokesperson Hedvig Elander said the company doesn't know how many employees might go on strike, but confirmed that hundreds would likely be affected. Peab wasn't immediately available for comment.