Swedish retailers such as H&M;, Ikea and Ica will be hit by a massive strike over Easter.

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Negotiations between the Commercial Employees´ Union (Handelsanställdas Förbund) and the Swedish Trade Federation (Svensk Handel) broke down at the weekend as no binding tariff agreements was reached.

The strike, which will begin 1 April, will affect more than 5,000 workers in 79 shops and warehouses, including H&M;, Ikea and Ica.

“Our counterpart has not made a single concession in any area but continues to stand by their original proposal,” union chairman Lars-Anders Häggström said in a statement.

The Commercial Employees´ Union is Sweden’s third-largest blue-collar union, with some 150,000 members. The Swedish Trade Federation has 13,000 member businesses representing a total of 21,500 workplaces.

"The strike notice aims to put pressure on our partners (employers) to start serious negotiations," Lars-Anders Haeggstroem, head of the retail employees union Handels, said in a statement.