Tesla has lost a legal battle against Sweden’s postal service as a dispute with Nordic unions escalates.
A Swedish court said on Thursday that PostNord does not have to deliver licence plates to the electric carmaker for the time being, which had been blocked by postal workers, in the latest twist in a battle over collective agreements.
Tesla, run by billionaire Elon Musk, is facing growing pressure in Sweden, Norway and Denmark from unions supporting IF Metall mechanics in Sweden, who went on strike on 27 October to demand a collective agreement with the company.
A major Danish pension fund said on Wednesday it would sell its shares in Tesla because of the carmaker’s refusal to enter into such agreements, while Denmark’s largest trade union joined the strike by the company’s workers in Sweden.
The court’s decision on Thursday came after Tesla sued PostNord over its workers’ decision to stop delivering licence plates for its new cars in a sympathy strike, and is an interim ruling before a final decision. Solna District Court said it had decided that PostNord should not be forced to make deliveries to Tesla until the case is resolved.
Dockers, drivers, electricians and cleaners are other workers who are refusing or threatening to refuse service to Tesla in sympathy with IF Metall.
The Nordic countries are key markets for Tesla, which has a policy of not agreeing to collective bargaining and has said its employees have as good or better terms than those demanded by IF Metall.
Musk said last week: “I don’t agree with the idea of unions. I just don’t like anything that creates a lords and peasants kind of thing.”
Last year, Norway was Tesla’s fourth biggest market in terms of new car sales. Sweden was its fifth largest, and Tesla’s Model Y is the best-selling car in Sweden this year.
In a case related to the PostNord lawsuit, a court ruled on 27 November that the Swedish Transport Administration must find a way to provide Tesla with number plates. The agency has appealed the decision.
Some Swedish pension funds have urged Tesla to sign the agreement with the union, but have so far refrained from selling their shares.
