Tesla sues Swedish Transport Agency and PostNord

In the now month-long schism between Tesla and IF Metall, a new development has been initiated where Tesla today has chosen to sue both the Swedish Transport Agency and PostNord.

The conflict is rooted in Tesla’s refusal to sign a collective agreement for its employees with the trade union IF Metall, a policy that Tesla applies globally.

The dispute in Sweden has led IF Metall, since October 27, to initiate strikes at Tesla’s Swedish service centers and workshops. This has caused major disruptions in the electric car giant’s Swedish operations. Other trade unions have initiated sympathy actions in support of IF Metall.

The decision to sue the Swedish Transport Agency is based on Tesla’s inability to access license plates for its new cars. They argue that the action constitutes a “discriminatory attack” against the company without legal basis.

“Strike victim @Tesla intends to go to court on two fronts. Di can reveal that in addition to the state and the Swedish Transport Administration, Tesla is also suing Postnord for missing mail”, writes Bonnier-owned financial newspaper Dagens industri in a tweet.

Strejkdrabbade @Tesla tänker driva rättsliga processer på två fronter. Di kan avslöja att förutom staten och Transportstyrelsen stämmer Tesla också Postnord för utebliven post.https://t.co/sOowVjUG81

— Dagens industri (@dagensindustri) November 27, 2023

“System-threatening”

In the lawsuit application, Tesla demands that the Swedish Transport Agency commits to delivering license plates for the vehicles the company owns and which have been assigned registration numbers.

Tesla has also taken legal action against PostNord in response to the blockade carried out by the postal operator in support of IF Metall. PostNord’s blockade has, among other things, affected Tesla’s ability to receive and distribute its products in Sweden.

“This dispute is about a very serious, almost system-threatening, action by PostNord”, Tesla writes in the lawsuit application, reports Di.

The month-long conflict between the parties has reached a stalemate where neither party seems willing to compromise, and a solution still seems distant.