EVwire brief: LO Stockholm has awarded its annual “Kängan” (The Kick) to Mats Gerdau, the chairman of the municipal executive board in Nacka, over his decision to allow Tesla to test self-driving vehicles in the municipality despite the company not signing a collective bargaining agreement.
The union said the move “favored” Tesla, while Gerdau defended it as a neutral, public-interest decision focused on innovation and public service.
LO Stockholm posted about the “award,” which came in the form of a boot, on its Facebook page:
Context:
The “Kängan” award is given to figures deemed to have negatively impacted union members. In this case, LO Stockholm criticized Nacka’s decision to grant Tesla access to public roads for FSD testing, arguing that companies outside Sweden’s collective agreement model should not receive support.
“The very least one can demand of leading politicians is not to actively favor these companies. But Mats Gerdau clearly couldn't manage that,” LO noted.
Gerdau rejected that framing, saying labor agreements were not relevant to municipal decisions.
“Allowing self-driving cars is great. LO has its own interest in advocating for collective agreements. And we have an interest in providing good service to citizens.”
He added that excluding companies on their collective agreements would set a problematic precedent.
“There are about 17,000 companies in Nacka... Some of those companies don't have collective agreements—does that mean they're bad companies? No, of course not,” Gerdau added.
Hat Tip to Tesla Sweden watcher Anders Nyman on X for tipping us off about this story.
Mats Gerdau presses further
Gerdau further emphasized that municipalities operate under public authority and should not tie services or permits to labor disputes.
“The municipality engages in public authority exercise… demanding a collective agreement would almost be an abuse of power.”
He also pointed to broader economic responsibilities, arguing local governments should focus on jobs, housing, and economic activity rather than intervening in union matters.
At the same time, Tesla’s autonomous testing has implications beyond local politics. Such deployments help validate systems like Full Self-Driving (Supervised), which regulators have concluded can improve road safety when used correctly.
The Dutch vehicle authority RDW, which approved Tesla’s system, stated:
“Due to the continuous strict monitoring of the driver in the vehicle, the system is safer than other driver assistance systems… The proper use of this driver's system makes a positive contribution to road safety.”
Source: NVP, LO i Stockholms län on Facebook
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