On May 14, Beijing time, after Tesla CEO Elon Musk refused to sign an agreement allowing employees to join a union, Sweden's largest labor union Unionen announced today that it will join and support Tesla employees' strike, escalating the conflict between Tesla and Nordic labor.
Unionen started to block Tesla's factory today, affecting all work provided by DEKRA Industrial Company for Tesla, which carries out the legally required equipment inspections. This may involve union members of the company producing license plates for Tesla in Sweden, or Tesla's own administrative, human resources, and financial staff.
Unionen, with 700,000 white-collar members, said its chief negotiator Martin Wastfeldt, It is crucial to protect our collective bargaining system. He also stated that if Tesla tries to bypass the blockade by hiring other suppliers, Unionen is prepared to take more actions.
Regarding the strike, Musk had stated on social media last month that the labor storm had passed, but representatives from the metalworkers' union IF Metall countered his statement, indicating that the strike is still ongoing.
In fact, this labor dispute is one of the longest in Swedish history, with Tesla having been at odds with employees for 6 months before Unionen joined. Unionen's involvement will escalate the strike conflict.
In recent years, Unionen has organized several strikes and achieved victories. This time, the organization has prepared sufficient strike funds for this action: over 10 billion Swedish krona (approximately 667.6 billion RMB).
It is worth noting that Tesla's European factory has been under immense pressure from the public recently. Just 4 days ago, hundreds of climate protesters in Germany attempted to storm the Tesla factory near Berlin and clashed with police.
Union member Kogilberg said, It may last for months or even years, as the union will not give up, but over time, both sides may find a solution.