Swedish mass boycott of Tesla. Cars grounded by postal workers
Despite being ongoing for almost a month, few anticipated the level of revolt exhibited by the Swedish against the Tesla brand. Intriguingly, even car owners happen to be affected by the protests!
The strike against Tesla in Sweden started October 27, 2023, triggered by failed contract talks between the American manufacturer and Sweden's largest trade union, IF Metall. Starting with port blockades, workers refused to handle Tesla cars, prompting increasing tensions.
Surprisingly, the conflict escalated to unimaginable levels within a matter of weeks. The paralysis of ports initially appeared to be a significant setback for Tesla. However, owing to Swedish law which allows trade unions to support any protest deemed justified, the situation soon spiraled into an unprecedented strike.
Garbage collectors, electricians, repair shop employees, and notably, postal workers, later joined the port workers in the strike. These groups, collectively, are refusing to have anything to do with Teslas - spanning from use, to repairs, and all services associated with the electric cars.
The refusal of postal workers to participate is especially crucial. License plates in Sweden, vital for new car registration, are exclusively delivered via Swedish postal services. Consequently, postal workers' refusal to deliver license plates to new Tesla cars has rendered them immobile: without plates, they can't be driven on Swedish roads.
The situation has elicited a strong reaction from Elon Musk, who is livid and firmly backing the workers of his brand, describing the events unfolding in Sweden as pure insanity. Musk's impassioned response underscores the gravity of the situation.
Despite enduring talks between Tesla and union representatives, there seems to be an impasse. This deadlock was confirmed by the chief mediator in a daily report by Dagens Industri. Remarkably, he highlighted that under Elon Musk's directive, Tesla's Swedish operation has no leeway whatsoever and is strictly forbidden to make any concessions to the strikers. Therefore, there is a strong possibility that the strike might persist for quite a while.
