The long-running dispute between Tesla and Swedish trade union IF Metall has taken a new turn. The union is filing a new lawsuit against the EV maker, contending Tesla illegally ignored communicating workplace changes to its workers’ representatives.
IF Metall has dragged Tesla to court for the second time this year in Sweden. According to the lawsuit, Tesla did not inform the union before reorganizing its Umea branch. This allegedly defied the country’s Co-Determination Act when it disbanded its sales team and other departments. (via Reuters)
Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, is famously against unions. The company has claimed it operates better without interference from unions. The EV maker also believes its workers would earn more without union representation. This stance puts it at odds with worker unions that want to negotiate wages and other working conditions on behalf of their members.
While Tesla stands its ground in refusing to sign a collective bargaining agreement, IF Metall has made compromises in the standoff, including allowing its members to repair Tesla cars under certain conditions. However, the ongoing industrial action has not appeared to affect Tesla sales in the Scandinavian country, as it gained market share in September, commanding a 23.3 percent share of new EV sales year-to-date.
