Strike Against Tesla in Sweden Expands as Metalworkers Union Takes Action
Sweden’s metalworkers union has announced an expansion of its strike against Tesla. The strike initially began last week when mechanics walked out over the electric carmaker’s refusal to enter into a collective wage agreement. However, the strike has now intensified and spread to more workers and facilities.
Initially, the strike affected around 130 mechanics working at 10 Tesla workshops in seven Swedish cities. However, an additional 470 workers stationed at 17 facilities, which service various car brands, have now joined the labor action. This expansion effectively halts the repair of Tesla vehicles.
While these employees will continue their regular duties on vehicles of other carmakers, they have pledged not to service Tesla cars for the duration of the dispute. Jesper Pettersson, spokesman for industrial labor union IF Metall, confirmed this.
Discussions have been ongoing between the union and Tesla throughout the past week, with another meeting scheduled for Monday. However, specific details regarding the progress of these negotiations have not been disclosed.
In Sweden, the labor market model is built on collective agreements negotiated on a sector-by-sector basis. These agreements cover nearly 90 percent of the country’s workforce and provide standardized wages and working conditions. The IF Metall, with around 300,000 members, stated that many of Tesla’s Swedish employees are part of the union.
Despite their union membership, Tesla employees in Sweden are currently not covered by industry-wide collective bargaining agreements. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has consistently opposed calls for unionization among the company’s global workforce of 127,000 employees.
In a show of support for IF Metall’s strike, the Swedish Transport Workers’ union has announced “sympathy measures.” They have warned that unless an agreement is reached, they will disrupt the loading and unloading of Tesla cars at four Swedish ports beginning November 7.
Meanwhile, in the United States, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union recently reached a tentative agreement with General Motors (GM) after a six-week strike. The strike affected the three largest US automakers and demanded higher wages and improvements, particularly in the shift towards electric vehicle production.
The UAW expressed satisfaction with the GM agreement, stating that it translated record profits into a record contract. This deal included substantial base wage increases, surpassing those received by GM workers in the past 22 years.
Overall, the labor actions in both Sweden and the US highlight the ongoing struggle between workers and automakers over wages, working conditions, and the future of the industry.
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