Sweden's Escalation of Tesla Strike: Dockworkers Refuse to Unload Cars, Cleaners Refuse to Scan Exhibition Halls

On November 17th, it was reported that with the escalation of labor disputes, Tesla's strike crisis in Sweden is escalating. Starting from Friday, all port workers in Sweden will no longer unload Tesla cars, cleaning personnel will also stop cleaning Tesla showrooms, and mechanics will no longer repair charging stations

On November 17th, it was reported that with the escalation of labor disputes, Tesla's strike crisis in Sweden is escalating. Starting from Friday, all port workers in Sweden will no longer unload Tesla cars, cleaning personnel will also stop cleaning Tesla showrooms, and mechanics will no longer repair charging stations.

This strike was initially initiated by Tesla mechanics and has now spread. The Swedish union calls this a life and death battle between Tesla and the fair and efficient practices of the Swedish labor market.

The deadlock in Sweden is Tesla's largest global union strike. Sweden does not have laws that stipulate minimum wages and working conditions, which are determined through collective labor agreements. A collective labor agreement is a contract that specifies the benefits and benefits enjoyed by employees, such as wages and working hours.

Over the past five years, IFMetall, the union representing Tesla's mechanics, has been working hard to persuade Tesla to sign a collective agreement. But after Tesla refused, the mechanics decided to hold a strike at the end of October. Subsequently, they invited other Swedish trade unions to participate in the strike action together.

The Swedish Electrotechnical Union plans to join the strike last Friday, and Mikael Pettersson, the union's head of negotiations, said: "Collective agreements are the cornerstone of the Swedish labor market model. For large companies like Tesla, defending the Swedish model has become particularly important

At present, the negotiations are at a standstill. IFMetall spokesperson Jesper Pettersson stated that as of last Wednesday, they had not held any negotiations with Tesla. Tesla has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Asperger hopes Tesla can understand the importance of this issue for Swedish workers. He said, "This is not only about dockworkers, but also for all Swedish workers

Three days later, on November 20th, the Seko union representing postal workers will stop delivering letters, spare parts, and pallets to all Tesla addresses in Sweden. Seko union chairman Gabriela Lavecchia stated in a statement: "Tesla's attempt to gain a competitive advantage by providing worse wages and working conditions than collective agreements is absolutely unacceptable

It is currently unclear how the strike will affect Tesla's business in Sweden, which is the company's fifth largest market in Europe. Local Swedish media reported that the new Tesla car is unloading at a Danish port and passing through the border.

The last time a Swedish union had a working conditions conflict with a multinational company was in 1995, when the toy company Toys R Us also refused to negotiate a collective agreement. Starting from retail employees and spreading to other unions, the three-month strike ultimately forced Toys R Us to sign an agreement.