Swedish unions block Tesla’s Supercharger expansion

Trade unions in Sweden have blocked Tesla’s newest expansion of its Supercharger network as part of sympathy strikes in the region.

Tesla’s plans to build 20 Superchargers in Sweden were put on hold after the Swedish Union for Service and Communications Employees (SEKO) and the Swedish Electricians’ Union announced they would no longer connect the chargers to the electrical grid.

SEKO connected its last Supercharger in early March before it announced its members would no longer service the stations on March 4. A few weeks later, the Swedish Electricians’ Union expanded its strike to include service on Tesla Superchargers.

Both labor groups say the service pause will continue until Tesla agrees to deal with the union representing its striking mechanics: IF Metall.

The strike expansion comes as Tesla in Sweden deals with regionwide sympathy strikes across Scandinavia.

The battle began in October when Tesla refused to bargain with its unionized mechanics represented by IF Metall. The refusal shocked the Swedish labor world, and several trade unions countered with strikes.

Unions representing transport, mail, waste and electrical workers launched sympathy strikes last year. After Tesla again refused to negotiate with its union, other trade unions in Norway and Denmark also walked out.

Fortunately for Tesla, Sweden is not home to any major manufacturing centers for the company, so it has avoided much of the economic hardship that usually comes with sympathy strikes of this size.

However, SEKO and the Electricians’ Union’s efforts might be difficult to get around for the electric vehicle giant, as most local power grids are owned and operated by companies with direct ties to unions.