Sweden: industrial action against Tesla
In Sweden, members of the metalworking union IF Metall have been on strike at the workshops of US carmaker Tesla since last week in protest at its refusal to sign a Swedish industry agreement. "It is extremely unusual that we are forced to resort to striking," explained IF Metall contract secretary Veli-Pekka Säikkälä. Sweden's press is siding firmly with the union.
Musk will have to settle for colonising Mars
Expressen makes no secret of what it thinks about Musk's behaviour:
“Being under the thumb of a moody boss who thinks the CEO and his lackeys always have the same interests creates space for bitterness and conflict. Successful business owners should invest their energy in things that they are actually good at: finding new creative solutions for mobility, logistics or coming up with something completely new. Their attempts to revolutionise the Swedish labour market are simply catastrophic. The egoist Musk has no place on Swedish roads if he doesn't understand the traffic regulations. He will have to settle for colonising Mars instead.”
A grain of sand in the gears
Upsala Nya Tidning says the Swedish dispute over labour laws could set a precedent for Europe:
“Tesla, Amazon and Google are following the developments with interest. The European Commission and US Congress should do the same. We are dealing here with a multinational that is bigger than many countries and which has thus far resisted being reined in either by digitalisation, competition or tax legislation. Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and co. do not take orders from easily manipulated politicians with election agendas. ... The Swedish model is a tiny grain of sand in the global machinery. But at the moment the picketers in Fyrislund are causing as much abrasion as Washington or Brussels.”