The Swedish Forest Workers' Union ( sv, Svenska Skogsarbetareförbundet, SSAF) was a

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

representing timber and forestry workers in Sweden. The union was founded in 1918, as the Swedish Forest and Rafters' Union, on the initiative of the

Ångermanland Ångermanland ( or ) is a historical province (''landskap'') in the northern part of Sweden. It is bordered (clockwise from the north) by Swedish Lapland, Västerbotten, the Gulf of Bothnia, Medelpad and Jämtland. The name is derived from the O ...

district of the Swedish Social Democratic Left Party. Originally based in

Sollefteå Sollefteå () is a locality and the seat of Sollefteå Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden with 8,562 inhabitants in 2010. The earliest written account on Sollefteå is found in a script dating back to 1270. During this time the name o ...

, it moved its headquarters to

Gävle Gävle () is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 77,586 inhabitants in 2020, which makes it the 13th most populated city in Sweden. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland (Swede ...

in 1920. The following year, it affiliated to the

Swedish Trade Union Confederation The Swedish Trade Union Confederation ( sv, Landsorganisationen i Sverige ; literally "National Organisation in Sweden"), commonly referred to as LO (), is a national trade union centre, an umbrella organisation for fourteen Swedish trade unions ...

.{{cite book , last1=Ebbinghaus , first1=Bernhard , last2=Visser , first2=Jelle , title=Trade Unions in Western Europe Since 1945 , date=2000 , publisher=Palgrave Macmillan , location=Basingstoke , isbn=0333771125 , page=626–630 While the union only had 378 members at the end of 1918, it grew rapidly, and by 1924, membership had reached 19,254. The early 1930s proved a particularly successful period, with the majority of members gaining coverage by collective agreements. In 1934, 10,497 relevant workers transferred from the

Swedish Sawmill Industry Workers' Union The Swedish Saw Mill Industry Workers Union ( sv, Svenska sågverksindustriarbetarförbundet, abbreviated SSIAF) was a trade union of saw mill workers in Sweden. The union was founded in 1891, it was initially known as ''Svenska sågverks- och br ...

, and in 1938, membership reached an all-time high of 43,059. In 1957, the union absorbed the small Swedish Timber Surveyors' Association, and in 1962 it adopted its final name, but membership was in long-term decline and by 1997 was down to only 12,160. In 1998, it merged with the

Swedish Wood Industry Workers' Union The Swedish Wood Industry Workers' Union ( sv, Svenska Träindustriarbetareförbundet, STIAF or Trä) was a trade union representing wood workers in Sweden. The union was founded on 1 January 1924, when the Swedish Wood Workers' Union was split ...

, to form the

Swedish Forest and Wood Workers' Union The Swedish Forest and Wood Workers' Union ( sv, Svenska Skogs- och Träfacket, Skogs o Trä) was a trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on ...

References

Swedish Trade Union Confederation Timber industry trade unions Trade unions in Sweden Trade unions established in 1918 Trade unions disestablished in 1998