Tesla workers vs Musk: Why Swedish mechanics have been on strike for two years

A small group of Tesla mechanics in Sweden has spent two years on the picket lines in a rare and escalating confrontation with one of the world’s most powerful carmakers. Around 70 workers at Tesla’s service centres walked out in October 2023, demanding that the company sign a collective bargaining agreement — a cornerstone of Sweden’s labour system.

While operations at the electric car giant continue largely unaffected, the strike has become symbolic: a showdown between Sweden’s union-centred workplace culture and Elon Musk’s vocal opposition to organised labour. Despite mediation efforts and growing pressure, neither side appears close to backing down.

A fight for collective bargaining rights

Sweden’s unions play a major role in setting pay and working conditions, and roughly 90% of the workforce is protected by collective agreements.

IF Metall, the union representing the mechanics, argues that Tesla should not operate outside these long-standing norms. The group says it tried for years to open talks, but the company refused. When Tesla declined again to negotiate, IF Metall called the strike — a tool that is rarely needed in Sweden because most firms voluntarily engage with unions.

Tesla stands firm

Tesla’s chief executive Elon Musk has consistently rejected unionisation, describing it as a source of conflict within companies.

In Sweden, the firm has continued to operate workshops with non-striking staff, contractors and imported workers. That approach has frustrated union members on the ground, who say they are witnessing business as usual while they stand outside in freezing temperatures. The impasse has since drawn in other Swedish unions, port workers, postal employees and electricians, who have staged sympathy actions to pressure the company.

A dispute bigger than the picket line

What began as a local labour dispute is now seen as a test of the Swedish model itself. Supporters of the strike warn that if Tesla succeeds in avoiding collective bargaining, other multinational companies may follow. Employers’ groups in Sweden typically support the negotiated system, which they say provides stability and predictability. The government has so far avoided intervening, but public sympathy has largely remained with the workers.

No end in sight

As the strike stretches into its third winter, there is no clear resolution ahead. The workers insist they will not return until a collective agreement is signed. Tesla, meanwhile, appears confident it can withstand pressure while maintaining operations. For the striking mechanics, the fight has become about more than pay — it is about defending a core national principle they say is worth standing in the cold for.