Strike at carmaker prompts sympathy action from dockers, painters and postal workers in fight over Swedish labour model

Elon Musk has decried a wave of “insane” strikes focused on Tesla workshops in Sweden, as workers target the US electric car manufacturer in a strike calling for collective bargaining rights.

In what has been portrayed as the largest fight in decades to save Sweden’s union model from global labour practices, the powerful trade union IF Metall has been leading a strike across eight Tesla workplaces in Sweden for five weeks.

It is the first time workers for the US carmaker have gone on strike and on Thursday, Musk, the tech billionaire and chief executive of Tesla, made his feelings clear, writing on X, formerly Twitter: “This is insane.”

    • WaxedWookie@lemmy.world
      3·
      1 year ago

      I don’t have a strong opinion one way or the other (though I think your binary framing of wildcat Vs corporatist is a little dishonest), but looking at the current Tesla dispute in Sweden, the effect is massive because it’s a cohesive, multi-sector strike. Seems like that’s a pretty effective case of “us” controlling “them”, no?

      • Ranger@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        1·
        1 year ago

        Yeah that the point the Swedish unions aren’t working in a framework that’s designed to give the political establishment control over the unions. If our ability to legally protest political matters could be vetoed by the people in power what effect do you think it would have on likelihood of effecting change through protect?

        • WaxedWookie@lemmy.world
          1·
          1 year ago

          That’s not a wildcat union, and those strikes were backed by Swedish courts - while I don’t strongly disagree with your point (it varies based on the applicable legislative landscape for one), this example proves the opposite of your point if anything.

          Your binary framing is bad enough that it’s working against you, and your comprehension of the terms you’re using doesn’t help. Your underlying ideas aren’t terrible, but they are lacking nuance (see the binary framing) that means they only work in certain contexts such as a hostile legislative environment - not real world examples like Sweden.

          • Ranger@lemmy.blahaj.zone
            1·
            1 year ago

            Yes, I know what a wildcat union is and yes, that’s what I’m saying. That’s nice that the courts in Sweden have graciously given permission for unions to be unions but that’s not the situation in the US, the unions are at the whims of the political establishment in DC who through the two parts have a strangle hold on the electoral system. I don’t see the democrats giving up those power anytime soon.

            • WaxedWookie@lemmy.world
              1·
              1 year ago

              There’s definitely benefit to working within the law when you’re able - it allows for things like hyper-effective multi-sector strikes that wouldn’t otherwise happen (see Sweden). That said, under different circumstances, illegal strikes are necessary to get the job done.

              Biden breaking the rail strike was terrible, but a product of the circumstances at that point - since then, he’s made some surprisingly big pro-union moves that will almost certainly increase union membership and bear fruit down the road.