> "If they bring in strikebreakers then that's completely unique," IF Metall's bargaining agreement secretary, Veli-Pekka Säikkälä, told the newspaper. "That would be crossing all boundaries. That kind of thing happened in Sweden in the 1920s and 30s."
> "If they start employing strikebreakers and actively try to break the strike, then they have mobilised the entire union movement against them. Not just the Swedish Trade Union Confederation, but all of them. Then the issue at hand becomes less important."
Because of this, companies generally know that when operating in this part of the world they can't just use strong arm tactics to suppress union activity. It's not even that hard, these unions are not run by stupid people and they are completely capable of negotiating on sensible terms.
So the point of confusion is the seeming asymmetry about what is considered socially normal/acceptable/expected.
I don't know for how long they are striking so far, but I would see it as unbelievable confrontational, a show of force from them to prove that they dictate the terms of employment without negotiations or coming to a compromise. I feel I would not accept that.
Usually it is seen that companies have a responsibility to look after their employees.
Not illegal, but unprecedented. Since the Saltsjöbadsavtalet in 1938, unions, workers and unions have mostly agreed on how to act, Tesla seems to be ignoring history and the country's widespread union participation, thinking they know better than 99% of the country's existing industry.
Does not seem to be exist, so what rights are you referring to?
What they are doing (strikebreaker) is "legal" - but when they are removed from market by the sympathetic population, it will be an obvious outcome.
The surprise is that normally logical employers do not work this way in these countries. However, we've seen that emotional responses are often how Musk's companies operate. I expect it to end poorly for him in this case.
Sweden is not a large market, but events like this contribute to Tesla's reputational decline. The Nordic countries were some of the first and fastest to embrace Tesla. But a brand can be ruined faster than it can be built.