The world leader in electric cars refuses to sign a collective agreement for its employees in Sweden. Out of solidarity, other sectors have joined the movement.
Although the king of electric cars does not have a factory in Sweden, he employs mechanics to maintain his vehicles. Three weeks ago, at the end of October, faced with the company’s refusal to sign the collective agreement for its employees, 130 dissatisfied mechanics laid down their tools and went on strike. But in the sector, there are many young people who are not unionized and the impact remains limited. LThe management does not allow itself to be impressed and even allows itself to slam the door on negotiations.
It was from that moment on that the movement spread. Other professions are entering into rebellion, such as dealers, who stop offering Teslas as demand explodes, carriers who refuse to load them on their trucks or even the dockers who do not want to take them off the boats. Dince November 17, all ports in the country have been blocked,The electricians give up repairing the 213 charging stationsthe Stockholm taxi company has stopped its purchases of Tesla and u carsn aluminum profile supplier has suspended its contract. Even postmen have joined the dance and no longer deliver mail intended for the company.
Tesla is entrenched in its corner
This chain of solidarity is explained by the existence ofCollective agreements, which are negotiated between unions and employers and which form the basis of the Swedish labor market model. They are untouchable and nearly 90% of employees are protected by these texts which guarantee minimum wages and supervised working conditions. Tesla mechanics cannot benefit from it and Elon Musk’s firm never wanted to sign, a matter of principle. The American company, which has 127,000 employees around the world, has not done it anywhere else, it does not see why it would start. In Sweden, this decision has resulted in an exceptional and unprecedented social conflict for 30 years. He is supported by public opinion, and even former Prime Minister Stefan Löfven encouraged a boycott of the brand.
It remains to be seen who will give in first. The Swedish union IF Metall is watching with interest what is happening in Germany where certain projects for the Tesla Gigafactory near Berlin have been called into question in recent weeks for exactly the same reasons. For activity to continue, the manufacturer had to give in, at the beginning of November it increased wages by 4%. Even in the United States, the brand is under pressure from the White House to align itself with its competitors General Motors, Ford and Jeep, which after six weeks of strike have resolved to big salary concessions.