The trade union strike action against US car manufacturer Tesla in Sweden has now also found favor in Denmark. There, the powerful union 3F declared its solidarity with the Swedish Tesla workers who want to fight for a collective agreement with the American company.
At the end of October, the IF Metall union initially called on about 130 employees in ten Tesla workshops for industrial action. Since then, the strike has spread, with 470 workers in November in workshops repairing cars from various manufacturers, as well as workers at four ports blocking the loading of Tesla vehicles.
The movement has now spread to several other industries. In Sweden, 90 percent of all employees have a collective labor agreement. Tesla boss Elon Musk has repeatedly rejected calls for workers to unionize and has tried to defend himself through lawsuits.
But this apparently leads to even broader support for Tesla employees. On Tuesday, the Danish union 3F announced: “Port workers and freight forwarders will no longer unload or transport Tesla cars to Sweden.”
Union speaks about conflict between Europe and the US
“Solidarity is the cornerstone of the trade union movement and extends beyond national borders,” explains 3F chairman Jan Villadsen. “Even if you are one of the richest companies in the world, you cannot enforce your own rules.” In Denmark, collective bargaining coverage is also very high at 80 percent. IF Metall boss Marie Nilsson spoke of a “conflict between Swedish or European culture and the American way of doing business.”
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
