Scandinavian Unions Unite In Opposition to Musk

 

Anti-union egomaniac and crashing car mogul Elon Musk is having increasing labor problems in labor-friendly Scandinavia over his refusal to allow workers to unionize. Swedish workers from dock workers to electricians and warehouse workers are striking Musk's Tesla repair and service shops (Tesla doesn't manufacture cars in Sweden), and unions in Norway (Fellesforbundet) and Denmark (3F) are joining in "sympathy" strikes, according to The Register.com:

"Danish union 3F and Norway's Fellesforbundet, the largest private-sector unions in their respective nations, both announced plans this week to get in Tesla's way.

3F, which covers multiple industries in Denmark, has limited its sympathy strike to its Transportation arm, which union chair Jan Villadsen explained will mean transportation workers at docks, including drivers, won't unload or transport Tesla vehicles bound for Sweden. 

"Even though Elon Musk is one of the richest people in the world and owns Tesla, he can't just make his own rules," Villadsen declared on Tuesday when announcing 3F's action. "We have some agreements on the labor market in the Nordics, and you have to comply with them if you want to do business here."

Fellesforbundet leader Jørn Eggum echoed Villadsen's sentiments in a Wednesday announcement that his union will also launch a boycott aimed at stopping the transportation of Teslas into Sweden.

"In the Nordic countries, there is broad agreement about the importance of a well-organized working life," Eggum noted. "The right to demand a collective agreement is a natural part of [that], and we cannot accept that Tesla stands outside this."

3F and Fellesforbundet's sympathy strikes will begin on December 19 and December 20, respectively, if a collective agreement between Tesla and employees represented by Swedish automotive worker union IF Metall isn't in place."  (our emphasis)

As monumentally arrogant and selfish as Musk is, we doubt that he'll give in or compromise with the Scandinavian unions, allowing other electric vehicle manufacturers (e.g., U.S., Chinese) to get an advantage over Tesla. That will be good for the future of electric vehicles and for the eventual and richly-deserved comeuppance for the increasingly unstable right-wing Musk.