Prime Minister Stefan Löfven has made the decision to remain in Sweden in order to lead his government’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak in his country, and has cancelled his planned visit to South Africa from 8 to 11 March, which included an address at our head office. In a recent telephone conversation with President Cyril Ramaphosa, the President and the Prime Minister agreed to postpone the visit to a later date.
Stefan Löfven has been the Prime Minister of Sweden since 2014, and the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party since 2012. He became chair of the Swedish Industrial and Metal Workers’ Union (IF Metall) in 2006.
Mr Löfven has been involved in trade union activities at local, national and international level. His trade union engagement, which began when employed as a welder at Hägglunds, an industrial company in the north of Sweden, started with the simple matter of ensuring that he and his colleagues had decent tables and chairs for their coffee breaks.
Recently, Mr Löfven has been co-chair of the International Labour Organisation’s Global Commission on the Future of Work, together with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Mr Löfven is the initiator of the Global Deal for Decent Work and Inclusive Growth.