They struck for 1,050 days. Tesla did not sign the agreement and emerged victorious from the dispute
After almost three years, the strike at Tesla in Sweden ends. The union canceled the protest because there were no striking employees left in the company.
The IF Metall trade union has decided to suspend all industrial activities at the Swedish company Tesla from August 19. The strike lasted almost three years, but it will end without achieving its main goal, which was to persuade the electric car manufacturer to sign a collective labor agreement.
Trade unionists explain that the protest cannot be continued because there are no longer striking members of the organization in the company. According to IF Metall, Tesla offered them to leave the company on undisclosed terms. Some employees accepted severance pay, while others were directly or indirectly encouraged to resign.
Tesla did not agree to a collective bargaining agreement
The protest started in October 2023. Its goal was to force the American company to conclude a collective agreement. Tesla consistently refused, arguing that the employees already have comparable working conditions and joining such agreements is voluntary.
Other Swedish trade unions also became involved in the dispute. They took solidarity actions, including: suspending the delivery of correspondence and delaying the connection of charging stations to the power grid. However, the pressure did not make the company change its position.
Employees criticized the course of the protest
According to “Dagens Industri”, some employees withdrew from the strike due to dissatisfaction with the way it was conducted. They indicated, among others: to the loss of the right to sickness benefits, resulting – in their opinion – from the incorrect tax system used by the union.
The negotiation strategy and sending protesters back to work were also criticized. Ultimately, some people decided to accept severance pay from Tesla, which gradually reduced the number of protest participants.
Tesla talks about a difficult 1050 days
Tesla Sweden maintains that its employees have all benefits and protections required by Swedish law, including a company pension and safe employment conditions. However, the company did not comment on the terms of the strikers’ departure.
The company emphasized that the 1,050 days of protest were difficult not only for technicians, but also for suppliers, customers waiting for repairs and drivers of electric cars.
The company will open over 250 charging stations
Tesla also claims that union solidarity actions have slowed Sweden’s electrification. After the end of the energy supply blockade, the company will be able to start launching over 250 new charging stations in 20 locations.
A representative of the Swedish LO trade union headquarters admitted that ending the protest without a collective agreement is a failure. He stressed, however, that unions should undertake such fights even when there is a risk that they will not be able to complete them.
