Tesla Faces a Strange Strike

Tesla faces its very first strike in history after refusing to negotiate with the Swedish union IF Metall.

It is well known that Tesla does not hold unions particularly close to its heart. After enjoying a historic movement that pitted the “Big Three” American automakers Ford, GM, and Stellantis against the powerful UAW union, here comes an ironic backlash.

And although it might not be expected there, it’s perhaps not surprising that this strike is taking place in Sweden, one of the most unionized countries in Europe. This first union action against Tesla also occurs in a country, and more broadly a Scandinavian region, that is at the forefront of the transition to electric vehicles.

The Swedish union IF Metall justified this action by Tesla’s refusal to sign a collective agreement. However, this has not caused Elon Musk to tremble, as this very limited movement seems to have caused no major disruptions. Several Tesla employees even admitted that they saw no reason to participate, considering their current working conditions and salaries satisfactory.

Even more surprisingly, the employees who expressed their views chose to remain anonymous due to concerns about potential repercussions, not from Tesla, but from… the union!