- Members of the Swedish union IF Metall have been in dispute with Tesla for six weeks and have received support from colleagues from various industries in Sweden.
- The head of Danish transport union 3F, Jan Villadsen, said on Tuesday that IF Metall and Swedish workers were “fighting an incredibly important fight” and therefore had the full support of his union.
- In what appeared to be a direct attack on Elon Musk, Villadsen added: “Even if you’re one of the richest in the world, you can’t just make your own rules.”
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Inc., during a fireside discussion about the risks of artificial intelligence with Rishi Sunak, the British Prime Minister (not pictured), in London, Britain, on Thursday, November 2, 2023.
Tolga Akmen | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Tesla is facing a growing revolt in Scandinavia after Danish dock workers joined a sympathy strike with Swedish mechanics, increasing pressure on the electric vehicle giant to grant its employees collective bargaining rights.
Members of the Swedish union IF Metall have been in a dispute with Tesla for six weeks and have received support through secondary strike action from colleagues from various industries in Sweden, including postal workers, painters, dock workers and electricians.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla defendant Calling postal workers’ blocking of license plate delivery “crazy,” she filed lawsuits against both the Swedish Transport Agency and the post office late last month.
After Swedish port workers blocked the receipt of Tesla cars in the country, there was speculation that Tesla would try to deliver cars to Danish ports and transport them to Sweden by truck.
However, IF Metall asked Denmark’s largest union for support, which announced a sympathy strike on Tuesday.
Jan Villadsen, leader of Danish transport union 3F, said on Tuesday that IF Metall and Swedish workers were “fighting an incredibly important fight” and therefore had his union’s full support.
“Just like businesses, the trade union movement around the world is fighting to protect workers. With the sympathy strike, we are now intervening to put further pressure on Tesla,” Villadsen said in a statement.
“Of course we hope that they come to the negotiating table as quickly as possible and sign a collective agreement.”
In what appeared to be a direct attack on Musk, Villadsen added: “Even if you’re one of the richest in the world, you can’t just make your own rules.”
“We have some labor market agreements in the Nordic region and you have to respect them if you want to operate a business here,” he said.
“Solidarity is the cornerstone of the trade union movement and extends across national borders. That’s why we are now using the tools at our disposal and using them to ensure collective agreements and fair working conditions.”
All members of 3F Transport fall under the sympathy conflict, which means that dock workers and drivers are not allowed to accept Tesla cars and transport them to Sweden.
Swedish industrial relations, characterized by a series of agreements over the course of the 20th century, mean that almost all wages are subject to collective agreements between companies and unions, without state intervention.
Tesla has so far refused to join any of these collective agreements, which led to around 120 mechanics in Sweden going on strike in late October.
The striking workers are not demanding higher wages, just that Tesla adhere to the principle of collective bargaining. The dispute highlights the potential for an ongoing ideological standoff not only between Tesla and 120 Mechanics, but also between the power of US corporations and the deep-rooted principles underlying the Scandinavian economic model.
The expansion of solidarity strikes to Denmark could be a sign of further trouble for Musk, as there is a risk of similar solidarity actions in Norway and Germany, where collective bargaining is also a central tenet of industrial relations.
IF Metall told CNBC on Tuesday that there are no ongoing discussions with Tesla, but hopes the US giant will “return to the negotiating table as soon as possible.”
“We are confident that they will eventually realize that collective agreements are beneficial for them too. We are prepared for a prolonged conflict, but hope for a quick resolution,” the union said.