STOCKHOLM – Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) asked a court in Sweden to ensure that the country’s Transport Agency provides access to license plates currently blocked by postal workers in a wider labor conflict, a court official said on Tuesday.
The U.S. electric vehicle maker headed by billionaire Elon Musk is at the center of a dispute in Sweden over its refusal to sign a collective bargaining agreement and thus allow a labor union to negotiate on behalf of workers.
The conflict began in October 2023 when a group of Tesla mechanics went on strike, and since then, more than a dozen unions, including dockworkers, electricians, maintenance crews, postal workers, and cleaners, have announced solidarity actions.
After losing several appeals in other courts, Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has now turned to the Karlstad administrative court to force the Transport Agency to provide license plates for buyers of its vehicles by other means than postal delivery, an official at the court said.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While the postal blockade makes access to license plates more difficult, Swedish media has reported that Tesla has found ways to circumvent the unions by asking car buyers to order plates themselves.
The Transport Agency said it would await the outcome of the case.
Sweden’s ST labor union said Tesla should adapt to Sweden’s labor market practices.
“We do not believe it is too much to ask for large international companies to make certain adjustments to the systems of different countries,” it said.
Tesla has said it offers as good, or better, terms than those demanded by the union, and the company has found ways to stay in operation, including by employing non-union staff.
