EVwire brief: New reports suggest that dissatisfaction is growing among striking Tesla employees in Sweden, as IF Metall now requires strikers to work 40 hours per week on picket duty to receive compensation.
Some workers stated that the requirement makes striking less viable, with one noting, “If I'm going to stand outside for eight hours a day, I might as well go in and work.”
The changes come amid ongoing issues around strikers’ pensions, benefits, and compensation rules.
Source: @Knytanders
Context:
The new requirement, introduced by IF Metall on April 1, means striking Tesla employees must now actively participate in union activities such as picketing or meetings during standard working hours.
Previously, no such work requirement existed. The change allows IF Metall to reduce reliance on hired picket staff while increasing participation from striking members.
At the same time, broader issues tied to strike compensation are adding pressure. Conflict compensation is tax-free by law, which means it does not count toward sickness benefit income (SGI), unemployment insurance, or pension contributions.
Attempts by IF Metall to work around this by treating compensation as taxable income were rejected by Swedish authorities, forcing a rollback of two years of payments and contributions.
As a result, many strikers now face:
Reset SGI (to zero over time)
Loss of pension accruals
Uncertainty around unemployment insurance eligibility
The Tesla Sweden team
Strikers question whether the strike still makes sense
Some workers have also been asked to repay funds if they earned additional income during the strike, adding further tension.
Criticism from within the strike is becoming more visible. One striker described the situation bluntly:
“Most people are so damn unhappy with how things are right now.”
Another added:
“If IF Metall had been my employer, I would have run away from there a long time ago.”
The new 40-hour requirement appears to be a turning point for some workers. Being required to spend full workdays on picket lines, while still losing access to key social protections, has led to a practical reassessment.
As one striker said:
“If I'm going to stand outside for eight hours a day, I might as well go in and work, and get all the government guarantees instead.”
Tesla Sweden, for its part, has highlighted that its employees are valuable, and they receive company stock as part of compensation for their services.
Tesla Sweden and IF Metall’s conflict started in October 2023, more than two years ago, and has caused a lot of trouble for Tesla across its operations, from being able to receive license plates for its new cars, to not being able to energize hundreds of Supercharger sites across Sweden due to sympathy protests.
Meanwhile, Tesla sales in Sweden have rebounded strong this year, and as we just wrote, it turns out Sweden's "Tesla Shame" has faded after just one year.
Source: Tesla Club Sweden, CarUp
DIG DEEPER into the Tesla industry news with our dedicated TESLAWIRE page. And don’t forget to subscribe to our EV industry newsletter to join 14,000+ EV geeks.
