BEERG Newsletter 37 - Sweden: Growing support for Tesla strikers

With dock workers in Sweden already threatening to block deliveries of new Teslas entering the country in support of a strike for force Tesla to sign a collective bargaining agreement, here, now Stockholm’s biggest taxi company has weighed in support of the strikers.

Taxi Stockholm, one of the Swedish capital’s largest taxi companies, has pushed the pause button new purchases of Tesla vehicles and called on the company to agree to sign a collective bargaining agreement. In a statement Pernilla Samuelsson, acting head of Taxi Stockholm, said:

“We at Taxi Stockholm place great importance on collective agreements and fair employment conditions. We’ve chosen to pause purchases of Tesla cars to show our stance when it comes to collective agreements,” 

Meanwhile, a strike at Swedish payment company Klarna has been called off after the company agreed to sign a collective bargaining agreement. Swedish news agency TT quoted Sen Kanner, chair of the Unionen trade union club at Klarna, as saying: 

    “It’s a victory and we should all be celebrating. I’m very happy that we didn’t have to strike,”.
Unionen and Engineers of Sweden walked out of talks last month after six months of negotiations, threatening industrial action unless the company signed a collective bargaining agreement. Another three unions pledged to launch sympathy strikes, which are legal in Sweden. But with the help of a mediator, Klarna and the unions managed to reach agreement on Friday.  In a statement Klarna CEO and co-founder Sebastian Siemiatkowski said:

“I am pleased that we have struck a deal which combines Klarna’s agility with the clarity of the Swedish model. I am convinced that we will benefit from this deal and that Klarna will be able to contribute to making the Swedish model stronger from the inside”

A joint press release from Unionen and Klarna stated that Klarna would join BAO (The Employers of the Financial Sector) from the start of 2024, which means it will be covered by a collective agreement between BAO and the trade unions Finansförbundet, Engineers of Sweden and Akavia.

In Germany, Tesla's management has announced a 4% wage raise for 11,000 workers, effective from November. It will also pay a €1,500 bonus in December to offset inflation and raise annual wages by an additional €2,500 from February. This move comes after unions claimed that Tesla workers earned below the industry average. German union IG Metall had previously stated that Tesla wages were around 20% lower than those offered under the collective bargaining agreement. Tesla does not have a collective bargaining agreement governing wages, unlike other carmakers in Germany. 

This is a follow up on last week’s story.

The latest update on developments can be found HERE.