Tesla continues to face labor disputes in Sweden, as a nearly two-year conflict continues with new actions planned by workers’ unions.
The union IF Metall has announced on Friday that, starting this Wednesday (October 15), there will be a complete work stoppage affecting all tasks that the truck company Linde performs for Tesla.
Linde, one of Sweden’s largest truck companies, services and delivers trucks for Tesla‘s Swedish subsidiary, TM Sweden.
According to IF Metall’s contract secretary Simon Petersson, the industrial action planned for this week “isn’t a big deal” for the Swedish company, a “Tesla is a small player in their portfolio.”
For Tesla, however, “it’s the accumulation of many small things,” the secretary noted.
According to Petersson, “this stops everything Linde does for Tesla,” which includes “not just their sites, but wherever the work is done.”
“So if Tesla has a problem with a truck, it won’t be repaired or serviced,” he stated.
The work stoppage will continue until Tesla signs the collective agreement demanded by the union.
October 27 will mark the second anniversary of IF Metall’s strike against Tesla, making it the longest industrial action in modern Swedish history.
The strike, which began in 2023, has been supported by sympathy strikes from other unions and targeted actions such as blocking license plate deliveries.
Negotiations involving IF Metall, Tesla, and Sweden’s National Mediation Office remain deadlocked.
The union says the company refuses to consider collective bargaining agreements that would align its Swedish workforce with industry standards on wage increases, working hours, and pensions.
To bypass the blockages, Tesla has relied on workarounds to keep its business running in Sweden, including importing vehicles in bulk via German ferries.
September registrations rebounded from August — jumping from 210 to 1,726 units.
However, sales remain below 2024 figures, as the company faces difficulties from both the union strike and increased competition in Europe.
The EV maker registered 5,710 vehicles in the Scandinavian country from January 1 to September 30.
It marked a 65.3% drop from the 16,478 Tesla vehicles listed in the first nine months of 2024.
Tesla registrations in September showed contrasting trends across the Nordic countries, as Norway saw the company achieve its best result in two and a half years.
