Tesla strike highlights culture

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This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. The head of the Swedish union behind a strike against electric carmaker Tesla over its refusal to sign a collective wage agreement said Thursday a culture "clash" was behind the conflict. Some mechanics at 10 Tesla repair shops in seven cities across Sweden walked off the job on October 27, and the strike has since grown into a larger conflict between a slew of unions seeking to protect Sweden's labour model and the US giant. In addition to the metalworkers union IF Metall, which launched the strike, nine other unions have announced "sympathy measures", including dock workers and postal workers. Marie Nilsson, head of IF Metall, told AFP that the foundation of the strike is failed negotiations to reach a collective wage agreement.

Tesla strike highlights culture

Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads. December 20, Tesla has found itself locked in an increasingly bitter dispute with union workers in Sweden and neighboring countries. About mechanics at 10 Tesla garages across Sweden walked off the job on Oct. Employees with supplier Hydro Extrusions, which makes aluminum profiles, are refusing to make a component for Tesla cars. Postal workers have stopped delivering license plates for new Tesla vehicles, prompting Tesla to sue the Swedish Transport Agency, demanding that it be allowed to retrieve the plates, and PostNord, the company that delivers the registration numbers. Tesla lost an early battle in the case, which is still working through the courts. The boycott has escalated by spreading to neighboring Nordic countries. They have urged the company to reconsider its approach to unions and asked for a meeting to discuss it further. Sweden is one of the most highly unionized countries in Europe, with nine in 10 workers covered by collective agreements.

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Unions have been one of the focal issues of in the automotive sector. Ford, GM, and Stellantis just had a multi-week conflict with the UAW that halted production and saw workers indirectly related to production lines, like hauler drivers, join in acts of solidarity. Tesla has unfortunately found itself in the same situation in Sweden, as the union is trying to force the automaker to sign a collective bargaining agreement. Tesla maintains that its workers have as good or better work benefits without the union. However, other unions have decided to partake in actions that hurt Tesla in Sweden.

So the union representing the Tesla employees, IF Metall, has been backed by a string of boycotts and embargos called in other industries — and encompassing far more workers than those at the centre of the dispute. Unlike many other European countries, there is no legally enforced minimum wage, and little statutory labour market regulation. Instead, the system is essentially voluntary — with the baseline for pay and other conditions, including pensions, set by collective agreements. The result is a remarkably peaceful industrial landscape, even by Nordic standards: Sweden lost an average of 8, working days a year to industrial action between and , for example, against more than , in Norway and Finland. After extended but fruitless negotiations, members at IF Metall opted to use the only weapon at their disposal, and call a strike. So it is a plausible outcome of this event. The music-streaming site Spotify, also Swedish, has not yet signed one. There is a wider principle at stake, too: across the developed world, as economies transition from fossil fuels to new energy sources, there is a live question about what that means for jobs and workers. But it is yet to win recognition at many of the plants making the next generation of vehicles — including, of course, Tesla. Unlike in the UK, where the widespread strikes of the past 12 months have become a live political question, Bender says Swedish politicians tend to stay out of labour disputes.

Tesla strike highlights culture

Tesla has found itself locked in an increasingly bitter dispute with union workers in Sweden and neighboring countries. About mechanics at 10 Tesla garages across Sweden walked off the job on Oct. Employees with supplier Hydro Extrusions , which makes aluminum profiles, are refusing to make a component for Tesla cars. Postal workers have stopped delivering license plates for new Tesla vehicles, prompting Tesla to sue the Swedish Transport Agency, demanding that it be allowed to retrieve the plates, and PostNord, the company that delivers the registration numbers. Tesla lost an early battle in the case, which is still working through the courts. The boycott has escalated by spreading to neighboring Nordic countries. They have urged the company to reconsider its approach to unions and asked for a meeting to discuss it further. Sweden is one of the most highly unionized countries in Europe, with nine in 10 workers covered by collective agreements.

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Type above and press Enter to search. Mark Sappenfield , Editor. Subscribe to insightful journalism. But you know what? February 23, February 20, Tackling the tough headlines — with humanity. Tesla lost an early battle in the case, which is still working through the courts. And we can prove it. On Monday, Tesla filed lawsuits against the Swedish Transport Agency and mail carrier Postnord, which is owned by the Swedish and Danish states, to compel them to hand over licence plates and mail to the carmaker. Tesla just made its Navigation better than ever with Software Update Monitor journalism changes lives because we open that too-small box that most people think they live in. Commentary A weekly digest of Monitor views and insightful commentary on major events. Why Britain is struggling with nuclear power February 22, Twice a Week.

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Although Ives writes in a new note to investors that the UAW is very unlikely to succeed in a battle with Musk and Tesla, it is important to recognize that the current situation in Sweden highlights the potential for this issue to spread:. To Top. Login to your account below. Tesla board chairwoman under consideration to oversee Elon Musk February 15, How to pack for a two-week trip with a small suitcase February 23, Subscribe now Return to the free version of the site. Every Monday. Labor organizers are on a union drive to sign up Tesla workers and say the numbers are rising quickly. For more information go to AFP. February 20, Let Tesla expand?