Information about the Tesla conflict
The Swedish Transport Workers' Union have imposed a blockade against the unloading and loading of Tesla cars in all Swedish ports and on the handling of all waste management at Tesla’s workshops in Sweden. These are sympathy actions to support IF Metall in the fight to sign a collective bargaining agreement with Tesla in Sweden. The Tesla conflict is also about defending the Swedish labor market model.
Our actions are not a strike. The Swedish Transport Workers' Union have imposed two separate blockades. The blockades means that everything else in the ports and at the waste management companies are running business as usual, except the handling of Tesla cars and the waste coming from Tesla’s workshops.
From when?
The initial blockade in four Swedish ports started on 7 November at 12.00 pm.
The second blockade, which is an extension of the first blockade, includes all Swedish ports started on 17 November at 12.00 pm.
A blockade against Tesla cars dedicated to Sweden starts in Denmark, Norway and Finland on 20 December by Nordic trade unions 3F Transport, Fellesförbundet and AKT. Read more here.
The third blockade, which entails waste management at eleven Tesla’s workshop starts on 29 December. Read more here.
"The desire and support for collective agreements has no national borders. Thanks to the strong and international cooperation of the transport unions, we now have an important support in the Tesla dispute even outside Sweden. This type of cross-border actions is very unusual and the fact that it has now been taken shows why our labor market model cannot be ignored", says Tommy Wreeth, The Swedish Transport Workers' union chairman.
How and how long?
The sympathy measure means that unloading and loading of Tesla cars is blockaded, other work in the ports is going on business as usual. The sympathy measures apply until otherwise announced or until a collective bargaining agreement is signed between IF Metall and TM Sweden AB, Tesla.
More information can be found on IF Metall's web.
Thanks for the international support
Nordic sympathy alerts against Tesla (December 8, 2023)
Info in media
Tesla strike in Sweden continues (Reuters, 10 April 2024)
Tesla labour dispute sparks Nordic sympathy strikes, (Reuters, 5 Januari 2024)
Swedish labour union stop collecting Tesla waste, (Reuters,13 December 2023)
Tesla Strike Spreads to the Nordics (Bloomberg, 5 december 2023)
World Business Report, (BBC World Service, 24 November 2023 - 07.20 into the broadcast)
Swedish dockworkers are refusing to unload Tesla (NPR, 17 November 2023)
Unions in Sweden Expand Blockade Against Tesla (New York Times, 17 November 2023)
Sweden's Tesla Blockade is Spreading (Wired, 16 November 2023)
Workers in Sweden Will Expand Strike Against Tesla (New York Times, 7 November 2023)
Strike widens at Tesla Sweden (Radio Sweden, 3 November 2023)