Sweden's Transport Workers' Union revealed Wednesday that the organization would discontinue waste collection at Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) locations in Sweden. The union joins a growing collection of labor groups enacting “sympathy strikes” on behalf of Tesla employees, with an aim to pressure the electric automaker into accepting a collective bargaining agreement for their staff.
Tesla is facing backlash in the Nordic region due to opposition from unions and certain pension funds. The resistance stems from Tesla's stance against complying with the request made by Swedish mechanics for collective bargaining, which would cover wages and other work-related conditions.
This opposition has resulted in various groups—such as dockworkers, drivers, electricians, postal employees, and cleaners—refusing to provide services to Tesla as a show of support for the striking mechanics.
"This type of sympathy action is very rare. We are using it now to protect the Swedish collective agreements and the safety of the Swedish labor market model," Said Swedish Transport Workers' Union President, Tommy Wreeth in a statement.
"Tesla can't ignore the norm on the Swedish labor market."
According to the union, the strike will begin December 24 unless Tesla agrees to sign a collective bargaining agreement with the Swedish union IF Metall.
Tesla recently experienced a legal setback after a Swedish court overturned a previous ruling that permitted the company to acquire license plates directly from the manufacturer. Consequently, the case has been sent back to a lower court for further review and reconsideration.
The U.S. automaker had requested the court's authorization to obtain license plates directly from the producer, aiming to bypass Swedish postal workers who are blocking the delivery process.
Shares of TSLA are down 0.82% in early trading Wednesday morning.