Ignorance, they say, is bliss. History tells of governments that have engaged in book-burning. Sweden’s new right-wing coalition government brought to power in the September 2006 elections has announced that the National Institute for Working Life (Arbetslivsinstitutet) is to be shut down. The Institute does an irreplaceable job of monitoring and analysing working conditions, and spreading knowledge on how to improve them. It is also a key participant in international co-operation programmes both in the European Union and with other partners.

The Government is spinning the closure as part of general spending cuts. The reason behind this bolt from the blue is opposition among a large section of Swedish employers to independent research being done into working conditions. The new government’s social programme is all about deregulating working conditions, extending contingent employment, and enforced flexibility directed against workers. Unemployment benefits will be cut to force the spread of contingent employment, while the ruling classes will enjoy rising incomes: wealth tax and any form of land tax will be phased out. This kind of policy heralds much darker days for working conditions.

Effectively, the new government which took up office at the start of October has decided to smash the thermometer rather than diagnose the sickness. The disbanding of one of the main working conditions research institutes in Europe is a bleak situation.

Those of our readers who want to protest against this measure can send an email to the Minister of Employment Sven-Otto Littorin ()

• Model protest letter