Swedish Tesla Mechanics Strike Back in a Chill Showdown with Elon Musk

In Sweden, a group of about 70 car mechanics have been striking against Tesla, one of the world's richest companies, for two years. The strike is happening at Tesla's ten service centers across the country and is focused on the right of the main union, IF Metall, to negotiate pay and working conditions for all its members. This idea, called a collective agreement, has been a key part of Swedish work culture for almost a century.

Janis Kuzma, a Tesla mechanic, has been on the picket line since October 2023. Every Monday, he stands outside a Tesla garage in Malmö with a colleague, even as the cold Swedish winter makes things harder. The union provides a mobile van for shelter and offers coffee and sandwiches to the strikers. Despite their efforts, the Tesla workshop across the street continues to operate as usual. The strike is about more than just pay; it is about protecting the tradition of unions negotiating for workers.

In Sweden, about 70 percent of workers are union members, and 90 percent are covered by collective agreements. Strikes are rare because most companies prefer to negotiate with unions. However, Tesla has refused to sign a collective agreement. Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, has said he disagrees with unions and believes they create negativity in companies. Since Tesla arrived in Sweden in 2014, IF Metall has tried to reach an agreement, but Tesla has not responded. The union felt it had no choice but to strike, hoping Tesla would eventually agree, as most companies do.

Janis Kuzma, who is originally from Latvia, started working for Tesla in 2021. He says pay and conditions often depended on managers' decisions. He remembers being denied a pay raise because he did not meet Tesla's goals, while another worker was refused a raise for having the wrong attitude. When the strike began, Tesla had about 130 mechanics, but now only 70 union members are on strike. Tesla has replaced them with new workers, which is unusual in Sweden and goes against established norms, though it is not illegal.

Other unions have joined the fight. Dockworkers in Denmark, Norway, and Finland refuse to handle Teslas, trash is not collected from Tesla's Swedish facilities, and new charging stations are not connected to the grid. Despite these actions, Tesla owners are not affected much. They can still buy, service, and charge their cars.

The union worries that if they lose, it could weaken support for collective agreements in Sweden. Tesla, on the other hand, fears that agreeing to the union's demands could encourage workers in other countries to unionize. Elon Musk does not like being told what to do and sees the union's actions as an ultimatum rather than an invitation to negotiate. Some people believe the conflict will continue for a long time, with no quick solution in sight. Both sides are holding firm, and the future of Swedish labor relations may depend on the outcome of this strike.