For the previous a number of months, Tesla has been locked in a battle of wills with the labor unions of Sweden. The corporate’s refusal to ratify a collective bargaining agreement with a small variety of employees related to the Swedish union IF Metall has led to boycotts by different regional unions, turning what ought to have been a rapidly resolved dispute into an ongoing catastrophe for the electrical automotive firm.
This week, yet another humiliation was visited upon the agency: An extra labor union has determined to take motion in opposition to the automotive producer, and this time the tip outcome may very well be the stifling of Tesla charging stations all through the nation. The Swedish Union for Service and Communications Workers, or Seko, printed a statement Wednesday, saying it will be initiating a “sympathy” motion in opposition to Tesla over its anti-union insurance policies:
“IF Metall’s battle can be our battle. By refusing to adjust to the principles of the sport right here in Sweden, Tesla is attempting to achieve a aggressive benefit by giving the employees worse wages and circumstances than they might have with a collective settlement. It’s in fact utterly unacceptable. The battle that IF Metall is now taking is essential for your complete Swedish collective settlement mannequin. That’s the reason we’ve got chosen to challenge one other sympathy discover and improve the strain on Tesla.”
The influence right here may very well be dangerous for Tesla, as Seko, which does essential electrical work all through the nation, has promised to halt all “planning, preparation, new connections, community growth, service, upkeep and repairs relating to the entire automotive model Tesla’s charging stations in Sweden.” Elektrek has noted that the transfer may cease the launch of all new Tesla Superchargers inside the nation.
Over the previous a number of months, unions all through Sweden and different elements of Europe have banded together to guard Scandinavia’s labor mannequin from Tesla’s tried disruption. So-called “sympathy” actions or strikes are a way by which unions in a roundabout way related to a selected battle can categorical their help and put strain on an offending firm. Because of this, Tesla’s headquarters in Sweden have been subjected to numerous actions. Dock employees, electricians, postal employees, and even garbage collectors have all deserted the corporate’s workplaces, inflicting critical points for the corporate.
Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, has made it clear that he doesn’t like unions—which doesn’t make him notably distinctive, so far as the billionaire-class goes. That mentioned, Musk’s anti-union stance is especially pronounced, even amongst his friends. He has repeatedly expressed his disdain for collective bargaining and, throughout one notably impressed bout of rhetorical bullshit, said of organized labor: “I simply don’t like something which creates type of a lords and peasants type of factor”—which is an incredible assertion coming from a man whose cumulative wealth rivals that of any feudal lord in historical past.
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