Mass Layoffs at Nacka Libraries as Private Operator Exits

Nacka Municipality is facing uncertainty for three of its libraries as the private company Axiell announced it will end its library operations at the end of 2026. The decision will result in 38 employees, 20 full-time and 18 part-time, losing their jobs at the Fisksätra, Orminge, and Nacka Forum branches.

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This decision is based on the fact that the conditions have changed since we last responded to the procurement nine years ago. Axiell today has a clear strategic focus on being an international product company.

Axiell's CEO, Maria Wasing, stated that the company's withdrawal is due to changed circumstances since the last procurement nine years ago and Axiell's current strategic focus on becoming an international product company. A significant factor contributing to Axiell's departure is the need to replace the digital library system used by all Nacka libraries, which has performance issues.

Nacka Municipality is the only one in Sweden to have outsourced its library services to a private company. While the arrangement was initially met with criticism, municipal councilor Monica Brohede Tellström believes it has worked well. She indicated that the municipality is now looking for new bids and is open to various proposals to improve library services, whether they come from private entities or the municipality itself. "I see no intrinsic value in it being private, but I see intrinsic value in several parties offering different proposals on how they can improve the quality of the libraries," she told DN.

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I see no intrinsic value in it being private, but I see intrinsic value in several parties offering different proposals on how they can improve the quality of the libraries.

The union DIK has criticized the municipality for not including "business transfer" provisions in the procurement. Such clauses would have facilitated the transfer of the affected employees to a new contractor. Brohede Tellström, however, expressed confidence that any new operator would retain the current staff, calling them the "greatest asset" alongside the premises and books. She assured that the libraries would remain operational throughout the transition.

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The staff working at the libraries today are the greatest asset, besides the premises and books. And I cannot imagine any operator who would submit a bid and then want to replace the staff with other personnel.