"Ida", who didn't want to use her real name, is one of several ex-Northvolters who have contacted Norran over the last few days, to complain about the competence of Northvolt’s bankruptcy trustee, Mikael Kubu of Ackordcentralen.
Ex-Northvolt workers say they are still waiting for their April salaries, despite being entitled to the money through the state salary guarantee. This is the second month in a row that payments of the state salary have been late.
– We still haven’t been paid our April salary, which should have been paid on April 25. And we have no idea when it will be paid. Many of us just have no money. It’s really shitty.
Norran met with “Ida”, who asked for her real name not to be used, in Skellefteå city centre. She’s one of several ex-Northvolters who have contacted us over the last few days, to complain about Northvolt’s bankruptcy trustee, Mikael Kubu of Ackordcentralen.
Most of the complaints focus on the late April salary, for which former Northvolt employees are eligible as part of the government’s state salary guarantee. The delay in payment is causing many ex-Northvolters financial distress.
– I’ve had to call all my various providers to delay paying my bills and invoices, says Ida.
– Money is really tight.
Another ex-Northvolter emailed Norran:
–The only people who have been paid their April salary are those still working at Northvolt for the trustee. It’s ridiculous, as these delays will financially ruin many ex-Northvolters. Some of us even wonder if these delays are actually legal.
Salaries for current employees and those laid off are handled separately. Active employees are paid by the bankruptcy estate, while those laid off receive their wages via the state salary guarantee, processed by Skatteverket, the Swedish tax agency.
"We still haven’t been paid our April salary, which should have been paid on April 25. And we have no idea when it will be paid. Many of us just have no money."
Details regarding eligibility and compensation amounts are provided by the bankruptcy trustee.
Skatteverket then checks the information and pays out the salary guarantee.
Ida is frustrated with the delay in the process:
– I understand that there are a lot of people to be dealt with, but the trustee knew this before they accepted the Northvolt assignment. There’s simply no excuse for how badly this has been done.
She adds that the trustee should have anticipated delays to the process due to tax return season at Skatteverket, which handles salary guarantee payments.
–The paperwork should have been easy as none of us so-called “relieved” people had worked one single minute in April - the paperwork could have been sent at the start of April, to avoid tax return season.
The salary delays are not the only problem causing stress and financial hardship, according to Ida.
– It’s everything! They seem to get so much stuff wrong. The dates on my last work employment certificate were wrong. It actually said I’d worked minus hours!
– We also haven’t seen any sign of the employer certificate, which had to be submitted to a-kassa by May 1 for us to qualify for benefits.
"They seem to get so much stuff wrong. The dates on my last work employment certificate were wrong. It actually said I’d worked minus hours!"
Ida lives in a house with other ex-Northvolters, and they have also suffered from administrative blunders.
– My housemate was waiting for a big payment from Northvolt for vacation days and other things, says Ida.
– She was owed 58,000 kronor. But because there was another mistake with the dates on the trustee’s paperwork, she only received 600 kronor. She’s devastated.
A couple of Hanna’s housemates are also non-EU ex-Northvolters and Ida has sympathy with how they are being treated.
– It’s just a terrible way to treat people. They have left so many people unsure of everything and super-anxious, especially those non-EU people who will soon have to leave the country.
Ida knows that as a native Swede, her current problems shouldn’t persist for long.
Northvolt's bankruptcy trustee Mikael Kubu, has been heavily criticised by ex-Northvolters.
– I'm Swedish, I'm from here, and I will be okay. But it won’t be for others. One of my non-EU friends, she almost never leaves her room, she’s so upset and unsure of what to do. Many of these people don't want to go back to their original countries - they have nothing left there.
The lack of communication from the trustee is also an irritant, says another ex-Northvolter who emailed Norran.
– First, I’ve never received a reply to any of the emails I’ve sent. Second, several people have received no information at all – because emails are still being sent to their old Northvolt addresses.
But laid-off employees no longer have access to those accounts, the person continues.
– And the trustee knows that, since they asked us to provide our private email addresses for precisely that reason.
Ida agrees that the trustee's communication has been deficient.
– I hear little from the trustee. I get most of my information from the trade union IF Metall and Northvolt Facebook groups.
Ten days ago, the union sent an email about the April salary delays.
"Maybe if there was a good new owner, I'd go back. But I wouldn't go back if the trustee was still in charge."
– They said we might get paid in 14 days. But others on Facebook are saying that, because it’s tax return season, our salary probably won’t be ready for us to sign off on Skatteverket until May 20 - and it’s then another 5–10 days before we’ll get paid, so it could be late May.