During Saturday, the conflict over collective agreements at Tesla’s Swedish workshops has been going on for six months. Dagens Arbete has collected the most important events of the first half of the year – from a conflict that is historic, in several ways.
The conflict between IF Metall and the electric car giant Tesla has generated newspaper headlines in large parts of the world. For the first time ever, the electric car company has faced industrial action by organized labor.
– We are in trouble here, stated IF Metall’s contract secretary Veli-Pekka Säikkälä when the union announced a strike.
At the time, the union had asked Tesla’s Swedish subsidiary TM Sweden to sign a collective agreement for six years. Autumn 2023 was so patient. On October 27, the strike was a fact.
The road from there has been far from straight. Neither for IF Metall, which struggled with low turnout among the workshop employees, nor for Tesla, which was forced to find ways around the trade unions’ blockades.
Historic conflict over collective agreement – for Tesla and IF Metall
The conflict will not only go down in history because it is the first time workers at Tesla have gone on strike. It is also one of the most extensive in terms of the number of suspended trade unions. A total of 12 trade unions in addition to IF Metall have introduced blockades against Tesla. The Swedish labor market has never seen so many sympathy measures before.
As the strike now enters its second half year, the situation seems to be just as deadlocked as when it all started. There are many indications that those involved have set themselves up for a long and protracted conflict.
Adam Daver, Rasmus Lygner
