Tesla filed a lawsuit against Sweden's Transport Agency on Monday, Nov. 27. The giant American automaker decided to sue to agency after striking workers led to a license plate seizure.
To clarify things, the employees protesting are not unionized since Tesla doesn't allow unionizations in its EV business.
A general view of the Tesla Assembly plant building which also does vehicle delivery and has a service center, on March 29, 2021, in Tilburg, Netherlands. In mid-March, a Dutch online news site reported that the Tilburg plant, which assembles the Tesla Model S and Model X, will cease work due.
Despite this, many Swedish workers still strike as they demand a collective bargaining agreement with Tesla.
Tesla Sues Sweden Transport Agency
According to ABC News' latest report, a bargaining collective agreement is offered by Tesla to most of its employees in Sweden. However, others are not lucky enough to have it.
The protesting workers seem to be greatly affecting Tesla's operations in Sweden since their strikes are halting license plate productions for new electric vehicles.
"This seizure of license plates constitutes a discriminatory attack without any support in law directed at Tesla," explained Tesla via Teslarati.
The Swedish transport agency's press spokesperson Mikael Andersson said that they do not share the same view that the license plate distributions are being blocked by the organization.
Although it denies Tesla's accusations, Andersson said that Tesla has the right to have the problem tested in court.
"We have not yet seen the lawsuit and it is therefore difficult for us to give any direct comments. We need to look at the lawsuit and Tesla's reasoning in it," said Sweden's Transport Agency official.
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Root of Tesla's Lawsuit Against Sweden
A digital license plate made by Bay Area company Reviver Auto, part of a pilot project with the state Department of Motor Vehicles, is displayed on a Tesla car at Reviver Auto headquarters on May 30, 2018, in Foster City, California. California is the first state in the U.S. to test digital license plates on vehicles.
Tesla's latest legal battle against Sweden stemmed from the ongoing conflict it has with the Swedish union IF Metall; the union organization behind the strikes against the automotive giant.
IF Metall's protests garnered support from the Swedish Transport Agency's postal provider, PostNord, as well as other trade unions. In the fourth week of November, protesting employees were able to deal a huge blow against Tesla.
They received assistance from PostNord after the postal provider decided to refuse license plate deliveries for new Tesla EVs; this move served as a trump card against the American carmaker.
As of writing, Tesla's lawsuit is seeking the district court to fine Sweden's Transport Agency over $95,300 and to urge the organization to allow Tesla to retrieve its license plates within three days from filing.
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