Three Swedish Unions Issue Sympathy Strike Notices Against King

Three more Swedish trade unions announced sympathy strike action against Candy Crush Saga developer King on September 17, 2026, backing Unionen and Sveriges Ingenjörer, which jointly issued a strike notice at the company on September 15, 2026, after more than a year of negotiations over a collective agreement ended without a deal.

Unionen said Naturvetarna, DIK and Akademikerförbundet SSR announced the sympathy action on September 17, 2026, in support of the two unions’ effort to secure a collective agreement at the company.

Sympathy Notices From Three Unions

Naturvetarna, the Swedish union for natural scientists, said it had decided to issue a notice of industrial action against King, formally Midasplayer AB, in sympathy with Sveriges Ingenjörer. The union said the notice means a complete stoppage of work if the parties do not reach agreement on a collective agreement.

Akademikerförbundet SSR published an item titled “Sympatistrejk mot King” dated September 17, 2026, announcing a sympathy strike against the game company.

DIK said it had issued a notice of conflict measures against King in sympathy with Sveriges Ingenjörer and Unionen, and that all work by its members at the company stops for the duration of the strike, which for DIK members begins on September 29, 2026, at 05:00. The union said the action covers all of its members at the workplace.

Strike Notice and Mediation

Unionen submitted its strike notice to King on September 15, 2026, following just over a year of negotiations on a collective agreement. Unionen said the campaign was conducted in close cooperation with Sveriges Ingenjörer, the Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers, and that the two unions together represent a large proportion of the company’s employees.

Unionen said that once the notice was submitted, mediation between the parties begins, and that if no agreement is reached, strike action will begin on September 25, 2026.

Sveriges Ingenjörer, in its September 15, 2026 announcement, said the two unions jointly issued the strike notice against King, identified by the company name Midasplayer AB. The union said the National Mediation Office, Medlingsinstitutet, will appoint impartial mediators to help the parties in the negotiations, and that the conflict measures take effect on September 25, 2026, at 05:00 unless the mediators decide otherwise or the parties reach agreement.

What the Unions Want

Unionen said its members at King want a collective agreement that strengthens job security and gives them greater influence over workplace terms and conditions, describing the campaign as driven by strong member engagement. The union said it represents a large proportion of the white-collar employees at the company.

“For Unionen, it is only natural that companies operating in Sweden are covered by collective agreements. We have spent a long time in discussions and negotiations with King in an effort to find a solution, but despite strong support among our members at the workplace, we have not been able to reach an agreement,” said Martin Wästfelt, Unionen’s head of negotiations. He said the union therefore saw no alternative but to give notice of industrial action.

Camilla Frankelius, head of negotiations at Sveriges Ingenjörer, said the games sector is significant for Sweden’s competitiveness and innovation, and that those who develop and operate digital game services need good working conditions. Collective agreements provide a stable foundation of secure terms, pensions and influence, she said.

Frankelius said a strike is not something the union takes lightly, but that members at King had signaled they want the union to take the next step to safeguard their terms and influence. She said the union hopes to reach a solution before the strike breaks out.

DIK said it acted so that employees at King would have the same security and influence as others in the labor market, describing collective agreements as a cornerstone of the Swedish model that complements legislation with better conditions, security, wage development and influence at work. The union said there are still sectors where employers do not sign collective agreements and named the games industry as an example. It noted that the right to take sympathy measures is regulated under Sweden’s Co-Determination Act, known as MBL.

Sveriges Ingenjörer said it requested negotiations in May 2025 to sign a collective agreement for its roughly 100 members at the company. The union said it held constructive talks with King during the spring to examine the important questions, but the company announced in June 2026 that it would not sign a collective agreement.

King is a Swedish company that develops games for the web, mobile phones and social media under the company name Midasplayer AB, according to Sveriges Ingenjörer. Founded in 2003, the company had its major games breakthrough in 2012 when it released Candy Crush Saga. It employs just over 550 people in the Swedish company, with offices in Stockholm and Malmö.

DIK told its members they have the right to full compensation from the union during the strike, and that if the employer requests it they must leave work equipment such as telephones and computers at the workplace. Workers who are not union members may join the strike on the same terms, the union said, but must become DIK members and pay the membership fee by September 29, 2026, to receive compensation.

The union said the measures cover all work, including work from home by computer or phone, and that tasks normally performed by members called out on strike must not be carried out by members of other unions, non-union workers or outside companies. Employees who are not on strike have the right to remain neutral and do not have to perform the duties of striking colleagues, DIK said.

Unless the parties reach agreement or the appointed mediators decide otherwise, the strike at King begins on September 25, 2026, at 05:00, with DIK’s sympathy action following on September 29, 2026.