Tesla Sweden car repairs resume as IF Metall eases restrictions, but the fight is still ongoing

The conflict between Tesla Sweden and the trade union IF Metall has been going on for several months now, and even today, the two parties are not seeing eye-to-eye. Tesla has argued that its workers are already well taken care of and that Swedish law allows companies to determine if they want to have collective agreements or not. IF Metall, on the other hand, has maintained that most businesses in Sweden opt in for a collective agreement. 

With seemingly no end to the conflict in sight, IF Metall has relented somewhat. On its official website, the trade union noted that workshops would now be allowed to fix damaged Teslas, particularly those that have been waiting for repairs even before the conflict started. IF Metall estimates that about a hundred cars could now be fixed. The union noted that the vehicles must be fixed between February 19 to April 30, 2024. 

“Our strike at Tesla will continue and the conflict is likely to be prolonged. Our conflict measures are aimed at Tesla, but unfortunately also affect you who own a Tesla. We understand that it can have a major impact on everyday life. To help you Tesla owners who have been hit the hardest, we therefore now have a temporary solution while waiting for Tesla to sign a collective agreement,” the union wrote. 

IF Metall’s contract secretary Veli-Pekka Säikkälä highlighted that the union’s decision to ease its restrictions is but a temporary solution. He also noted that the trade union would only be allowing the repairs of Teslas that could not be driven. Those that are damaged but still drivable would remain irreparable. That being said, the IF Metall official noted that the union feels sorry for Tesla drivers. 

“It seems to be a very long conflict and we feel sorry for the Tesla owners who have been affected,” he noted in a message to the Tesla Club Sweden group. As for the cars that are damaged but operable, “they get to drive around dented as an advertisement for Tesla,” Veli-Pekka noted. 

The IF Metall official elaborated further in a comment to Vi Bilägare. “This conflict has been going on for so long now and several of the cars we are talking about now have been in the workshops even before the conflict started. We think these people have been hit extremely hard, and it is inconvenient not to have a car to go to work with. We also think of the workshops that have bought parts for hundreds of thousands of kroner but are unable to drive the cars. Tesla has turned its back on both its employees and car owners,” he said. 

In a comment to Sveriges Radio, the IF Metall official also highlighted that Tesla owners should take advantage of this opportunity to get their cars fixed, since after the end of April, no vehicle repairs will be allowed again. “When this window is closed, it will be very difficult to get your car fixed so you have to think about which car you buy,” Veli-Pekka stated.  

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