The confrontation between the Avengers, a group of workers from various industries in Sweden, and electric vehicle company Tesla has ushered in a new turning point.
According to local Swedish media Afternbladet, the Norshepin District Court ruled on Monday that the Swedish transportation department must find a way to hand over new car licenses that cannot be delivered due to postal workers refusing delivery to Tesla.
This ruling was quickly made a few hours after Tesla sued the Swedish Transport Authority and the state-owned post office PostNord. Tesla alleges that due to strikes by workers from multiple industries in Sweden, Tesla was unable to obtain license plates, which constituted an illegal discriminatory attack on the company.
At the end of last month, the Swedish union IF Metall launched a strike on behalf of dozens of Tesla mechanics, demanding a collective labor agreement with Tesla. On November 20th, PostNord postal workers, other dock workers, electricians, and other groups also joined the confrontation with Tesla to express sympathy for Tesla workers.
The competition between the Swedish labor market and global electric vehicle giants is still expanding, and Tesla's lawsuit is its latest counterattack. At present, the demand has received support from Swedish courts, but in reality, it may not be able to reverse the wave of strikes among workers.
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The Norshepin District Court ruled that the Swedish Transport Authority must hand over the license plate to Tesla within 7 days, otherwise it will face a fine of 1 million Swedish kroner (95000 US dollars).
Lawyer Johannes Ericsson, representing Tesla, stated that the court's decision was correct, which means it also supports Tesla's claims.
According to current Swedish regulations, the delivery of license plates must be transported through PostNord. The transportation bureau stated that it has received a ruling from the local court and will directly transfer the license plate to Tesla.
Anna Berggrund, Director of the Vehicle Information Department of the Transport Bureau, stated that the Transport Department needs to investigate this option, its potential consequences, and the precautions to be taken in its implementation. At present, further details cannot be provided.
The Department of Transportation also stated that although the court's ruling temporarily grants Tesla the right to receive license plates through methods other than PostNord, this process will be subject to detailed government regulations. The possible outcome in the future is that delivery regulations will be changed.
It is interesting that the Swedish Ministry of Transport is largely considered a third party injured by mistake in this matter, and the other sued PostNord is just a drop in the bucket. The strike action initiated by the workers is actually not under the control of the Ministry of Transport and PostNord.
Petra Herzfeld Olsson, a labor law professor at the University of Stockholm, also pointed out that the Department of Transport has limited capabilities because it is essentially a conflict in the labor market. And Swedish unions have the right to strike and implement sympathetic actions.
Seko, the PostNord workers union who initiated the conflict, continued to speak sarcastically after the ruling, stating that the quickest solution to the problem was to have Tesla sign a collective bargaining agreement with IF Metal.
However, the union went on a legal strike, Tesla filed a legal lawsuit, and neither side showed any signs of compromise. Only the Department of Transportation and PostNord were caught in the middle as "scapegoats".