Swedish unions have organised large-scale industrial action against electric car maker Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), demanding collective bargaining rights for the mechanics who service the cars, according to reports.
The strike has been supported by dockworkers, car dealers, and most recently postal workers, affecting Tesla’s business in Sweden and potentially other parts of Europe.
In Sweden, approximately 130 mechanics were on strike last month after their request for collective bargaining was denied, and now licence plate deliveries have stalled because postal employees have joined the action.
Tesla’s Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, owner of the X social media platform, called the situation “insane” in a social media post, as he attempts to avoid the spread of industrial action across the company's global operations.
Having started last month as a strike by mechanics to encourage Tesla to accept collective bargaining, the protest spread to dockers and postal workers, with the latter refusing to deliver registration plates for new Tesla cars.
The risk to Tesla is that the strike could spread to other countries, such as Germany, where Tesla has a factory that produces most of the models it sells in the region.
Ever more workers at the carmaker's Berlin plant are reported to be joining the IG Metall union due to concerns about safety and overwork.