The auto workers strike in Sweden is widening to Norway and Denmark, while Tesla CEO Elon Musk refuses to consider an agreement.
Tesla strikes in Sweden could extend to the rest of Scandinavia, as negotiations between auto workers and the EV giant come to a halt. Dockworkers from Denmark and Norway’s largest private sector union declared on Wednesday they would join the picket line.
The CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, came under attack by union members as he refused to meet their demands. Musk, who reportedly “disagrees with unions”, said that they create a stronger divide between workers and executives than needs be.
That, however, comes under questioning when confronted with the work culture in Europe. Swedish union workers are not demanding better pay or renegotiation of contracts, but rather the simple acceptance of work ethics in the Scandinavian country. Such ethics include the worker’s negotiation of their legally-bonded paid vacation and overtime pay.
Swedish unions of dockworkers, electricians, cleaners, postal workers, and other figures linked to Tesla factories in the country have been on strike since October. They are led by IF Metall, the largest industrial workers union in Sweden.
On Wednesday, IF Metall was joined by Fellesforbundet and 3F, its counterparts in Norway and Denmark respectively. Their representatives, in an act of solidarity towards their Swedish co-workers, said they would halt Tesla shipping in their countries’ harbors.
The Norwegian union announced they will start their strike on December 20, while the Danish organization has yet to come out with a starting date.
A year of strikes
The autoworker’s strike against Tesla started one month after a similar protest erupted in the United States. UAW (the US’s union for workers in the car industry) wanted to negotiate a better contract with car manufacturers in light of higher costs of living and inflation.
The UAW strike itself was just part of a larger wave of workers’ protests in the United States. It all started in Hollywood, where screenwriters and actors jointly joined the picket line. Their influence over the American working culture was extremely high: Time Magazine placed them in the final ranking of “Person of the Year”.
Eventually, the UAW strikers found a deal with every major car maker, including General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis. The companies agreed to every demand, including better pay and better working conditions.
While that strike ended, however, Sweden’s protest against Tesla does not seem to be reaching a conclusion. The Swedish union said there was no ongoing negotiation with Tesla and the strike’s enlargement could prolong a final conclusion.
