A Swedish appeals court has dismissed Tesla’s bid to compel postal service provider PostNord to deliver license plates to new owners. The ruling, issued on Thursday, adds another layer to the ongoing conflict between Tesla and labuor unions in Sweden.
The saga began when a district court, in a decision from December, sided with PostNord, stating that the postal service was not obliged to deliver license plates to Tesla due to a sympathy strike by its workers. This strike is part of a broader wave of union actions that has spread to multiple countries in the Nordic region, following Swedish IF Metall’s mechanics launching a strike in October, advocating for a collective agreement that addresses wages and other labour conditions.
While the postal blockade imposed challenges for Tesla in obtaining license plates through traditional means, reports from Swedish media indicate that the company has devised alternative strategies to bypass union-related hurdles. Tesla is said to have encouraged car buyers to take matters into their own hands by independently ordering license plates.
The legal battle revolved around the clash between Tesla’s interests and the constitutionally protected right to strike. The appeals court sided with the latter, emphasizing that the right to strike takes precedence over Tesla’s demands for license plate delivery. (via Reuters)
Gabriella Lavecchia, the president of the labour union Seko, expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision. “It is gratifying that the court of appeal reached the only reasonable conclusion, that the constitutionally protected right to strike takes precedence over Tesla’s interests,” she said in an email response to Reuters.
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