Tesla: manufacturer deprived of license plates sues Sweden

Tesla is responding on a legal basis. The American giant is suing the Swedish state over the refusal of postal employees to deliver license plates for its new cars. The strike movement against Tesla, launched in late October by metals union IF Metall over the manufacturer’s refusal to honor a collective wage agreement, has since spread to other industries.

The postal sector joined the movement on November 20th. Employees stopped making deliveries to Tesla offices and repair shops. Because license plates are only delivered by mail, the strike could hamper the distribution of Tesla’s new vehicles, which group chief Elon Musk on Friday called “crazy.”

In its application to the Norrköping District Court, Tesla asks that the Swedish Transport Agency be required to ensure that the license plates “become the property of Tesla.” It also calls for a fine of one million crowns (87,000 euros) if the public authority fails to enforce the possible court decision.

Nine trade unions stand in solidarity with the movement

The Swedish Transport Agency said last week that dispatch of the plates had been entrusted to postal group Postnord under a contract covering all government agencies. In another request, Tesla is asking a court in Solna, a suburb of Stockholm, to force Postnord, which is owned by the Swedish and Danish states, to return the wafers.

In addition to IF Mettall, nine other unions have announced solidarity measures with Tesla employees such as dock workers and construction workers. Industry-specific collective agreements form the basis of the Swedish labor market model. They cover almost 90% of all Swedish workers and guarantee them minimum wages and working conditions.

Despite being unionized, Tesla workers do not benefit from industry collective bargaining agreements because their company is not a signatory to the agreement. The US electric vehicle maker has always rejected calls to unionize its 127,000 employees worldwide.