The American giant Tesla has initiated legal action against the Swedish State for the refusal of postal sector employees to hand over the license plates of their new cars. The strike movement against Tesla, launched at the end of October by the metal workers union IF Metall due to the manufacturer’s refusal to adhere to a collective agreement on wages, has since spread to other sectors.
The postal sector joined the movement on November 20, with employees stopping deliveries to Tesla offices and repair shops. Since license plates are only sent by mail, this measure could prevent the circulation of new Teslas, something that the group’s head, Elon Musk, described as “crazy” on Friday.
Tesla demands a fine of 87,000 euros
In its lawsuit before the Norrköping District Court, Tesla asks the court to require the Swedish Transport Agency to ensure that the license plates “return to Tesla’s possession.” He also asks for a fine of one million crowns (87,000 euros) if the public body does not execute a possible court decision.
The Swedish Transport Agency indicated last week that the shipment of the plates was entrusted to the postal group Postnord, under a contract that applies to all government agencies. In another request, Tesla asks the court in Solna, a suburb of Stockholm, to force Postnord, owned by the Swedish and Danish states, to return the plates.
In addition to IF Mettall, nine other unions have announced solidarity measures for Tesla employees, such as dock and construction workers.
Collective agreements, negotiated sector by sector, form the basis of the Swedish labor market model. They cover almost 90% of all Swedish employees and guarantee them minimum wages and working conditions. Although they are unionized, Tesla workers do not benefit from sectoral collective agreements because their company has not signed the agreement. The American electric car specialist has always rejected calls for unionization among its 127,000 employees worldwide.
Source: BFM TV
