“I will strike for months or even years to enforce this collective agreement”: The fight against Tesla continues in Sweden

Citizens and unions in Europe continue to fight against the methods of the US company Tesla. While the plans to expand the German production site in Grünheide near Berlin are still being opposed by local environmental activists, Tesla mechanics in Sweden have been on strike for eight months. They are supported by a large cross-industry boycott.

In Malmö, southern Sweden, a large banner from the Swedish industrial union IF Metall hangs on the gates of a Tesla dealership. The message is clear: “CONFLICT,” followed by the subtitle: “I Sverige kör vi med kollektivavtal” (“In Sweden we work according to collective agreements”).

Across the street, two mechanics wearing safety vests in the colors of IF Metall demonstrated against Tesla in May. Janis Kuzma and his colleague (who wishes to remain anonymous) were motivated by the working conditions and their relationship with their superiors to join the movement launched by IF Metall.

“Anyone who disagrees risks being fired”

Janis Kuzma was the first to stop working last October. He has now been on strike for eight months. “When we were at full capacity in the summer of 2023, there were 15 of us in the small workshop, and we were stepping on each other’s toes,” he explains. The cramped conditions were made worse by stress and poor planning, say Janis and his colleague.

“Many of them were often on sick leave because they were physically and mentally exhausted.” Each mechanic works on five vehicles every day.

When one of the mechanics complained, “the HR manager told him that Tesla was not for everyone and that he could leave at any time.” Martin Berglund, mediator at IF Metall, points to Tesla’s false family resemblance: “Tesla’s internal communication is based on the idea that all employees are part of the family,” he explains. “But in reality, Tesla is creating a company within a company where it circumvents rules and regulations on a daily basis.” What shocks Janis is the total lack of dialogue with his superiors. “Anyone who does not agree with everything, who disagrees, risks being fired,” he adds.

IF Metall recently accused Tesla of terminating an employment contract unlawfully. At the Umeå workshop, a worker was dismissed early, after five months instead of six. According to the IF Metall union, the company did not give a valid reason for the dismissal. Despite negotiations, the union was unable to achieve a favorable outcome for the mechanic. As the union was convinced that his dismissal was related to his participation in the strike, it decided to file a complaint with the Labor Court. So far, he is the only striker against Tesla whose contract has been terminated.

Tesla’s refusal to comply with the Swedish system

In Malmö, seven mechanics have walked out of their workbenches since the strike began. Nationwide, more than thirty employees are resisting the electric car manufacturer. Their demands have not changed and can be summed up in a single sentence: they want a collective agreement to be signed. This is an agreement between the company and its employees through the unions that sets out working and production conditions. But at the moment, Tesla is showing no signs of giving in.

Collective agreements are the bread and butter of the Swedish system, which has a very sparse labour code. The government gives companies and industry unions a great deal of freedom to negotiate employment terms (wages, contracts, etc.), working conditions (working hours, safety, etc.) and social benefits (pensions, holidays, etc.).

Although collective agreements are not binding, they structure the balance of power between employers and employees in both the private and public sectors and ensure a certain degree of stability and fairness within the economy.

In Sweden, almost 90 percent of employees in all sectors are covered by a collective agreement.

The conflict between Tesla and its employees lies in the American company’s categorical refusal to sign the collective agreement. From autumn 2022 to summer 2023, IF Metall tried to negotiate with Tesla on drawing up a collective agreement. However, the company’s management refused to sign a collective agreement “on principle”, adding that workers’ rights are not part of the “concept of the company”. Last November, Tesla CEO Elon Musk openly stated that he does not agree with the idea of ​​unions: “I think the unions, of course, are trying to sow negativity in a company and create a kind of ‘master and peasant’ situation.”

In its strike announcement, IF Metall stressed that it was simply about “establishing order and avoiding conflicts”. The collective agreement offers security for employees and employers: “The collective agreement guarantees that no one can strike to achieve better conditions than those agreed in the collective agreement.”

A broad solidarity movement across borders

Outside the workshop in Malmö, the two strikers are joined by four other workers who take turns at the picket line. They are not Tesla employees, but work in sales, accounting and the hospital area. They have taken half a day off to relieve the mechanics and ensure a continuous presence.

The picket is a reflection of the country. In solidarity with the workshop mechanics, the dock workers, truck drivers and electricians responsible for maintaining the charging stations have started to boycott Tesla. From the musicians’ union to the postal workers’ union, several industries have joined IF Metall’s fight. “Dock workers are still refusing to unload cars chartered by ship,” explains Johan Järvklo, International Secretary of IF Metall. “Tesla now imports its vehicles by truck. In Vetlanda, unionized Hydro employees have refused to manufacture parts for Tesla.”

Sympathy for the strikers has even spread beyond Sweden’s borders. Last December, the Danish transport union 3F Transport announced a blockade of the manufacturer’s cars in ports. This was followed by similar actions by Fellesforbundet in Norway and AKT in Finland.

The list is getting longer and longer. At the beginning of May, Unionen, the union for managers and employees, supported the strike in Tesla workshops. The result was that DEKRA International employees will no longer be testing the company’s products. “The unions in the USA and Germany are also fighting for a collective agreement,” explains Johan Järvklo. “It really is a global fight and Sweden is currently at the forefront.”

At Tesla’s only European plant in Grünheide, Germany, IF Metall’s German counterpart, IG Metall, entered the works council for the first time in recent internal elections in early 2024. However, the union did not achieve an absolute majority of seats and is therefore legally unable to negotiate a collective agreement, which it wants to do on wages, among other things. IG Metall is actively working to recruit new members to change this situation.

Violations of the right to collective bargaining are on the rise. According to the International Trade Union Confederation’s latest annual Global Rights Index report, such violations were observed in more than half of European countries and in 73 percent of countries worldwide in 2023.

All the more reason for IF Metall to see this strike through to the end. “It’s about the rights of the workers and their bargaining power, which is crucial,” adds Mr Järvklo. “We don’t want the next companies to follow the same path and also reject collective agreements.” The union has no intention of giving up after eight months of fighting. By comparison, in 1995, the Swedish employees of Toys “R” Us fought for three months before reaching an agreement.

Strikebreakers are used to hinder the movement

Anders Kjellberg is a sociologist at Lund University and a trade union expert. In his view, this strike differs from recent social movements in one key respect: Tesla is refusing any real negotiations and is calling for strikebreakers. “The strikers have been replaced by 23 workers from abroad,” explains Kjellberg, who describes the strategy as unprecedented.

“In 1995, Toys ‘R’ Us circumvented the strike by using strikebreakers in the factory. Tesla now imports workers from its factories in Europe.” Kjellberg sees this as a problem for the movement, which he believes is becoming less and less efficient.

Besides the fact that they are strikebreakers, Janis and his colleague have other doubts about the new employees at the Malmö workshop. “To get hired at the workshop now, you just have to show a great interest in Tesla,” they argue. “Qualifications are not necessarily required.” A sales manager takes a car out of the garage for inspection. It makes a suspicious noise, a grinding noise from the wheels. Janis approaches the vehicle – he has good relations with his colleagues – and quickly notices that the front and rear wheels are swapped. “It is inexperience and stress that lead to something like this,” he says.

According to the strikers, the workshop is currently running slowly with the new recruits. In the workshop hangs a banner with a hedgehog in a yellow vest and the slogan “Tack, det är bra” (“Thanks, that’s good” in Swedish). Tesla’s way of telling them that things are going well both without them and without convention.

There is power in a union

The banner symbolizes Tesla’s insensitive attitude towards the conflict. However, IF Metall is not yet ready to give up and let the multinational corporation win. The Swedish union is currently negotiating with its counterparts IG Metall in Germany and United Auto Workers (UAW) in the US on a global strategy to continue the fight.

On June 13, at Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting, a group of investors called on the board to pursue a policy of respecting freedom of association and collective bargaining within the company. “This proposal was developed in international cooperation with several employee unions,” says Johan Järvklo. However, the proposal was rejected by shareholders.

For Janis, there is no alternative: “I will strike for months or even years to enforce this collective agreement. I am doing this less for myself than for the next generation, to ensure good working conditions for them.”

It is time for a shift change at the picket line. Before Janis goes to get something to eat, he performs his ritual: He drives past the car dealership at a snail’s pace, with the windows down and the speakers turned up full blast, and plays There is power in a unionthe punk rock anime by British singer Billy Bragg from 1986.