Tesla’s ongoing union conflict in Sweden with IF Metall is said to put around 20 employees at a local aluminum plant at a potential risk of losing their jobs.
Hydro Extrusions said on Friday that the employees at one of its plants, located in Vetlanda, could potentially lose their jobs because of Tesla and IF Metall’s disagreement over collective bargaining.
A spokesperson for Hydro Ventlanda said that it has attempted to help the 20 employees by finding alternative work for those involved in the ongoing disagreement. However, it has now run out of opportunities for them, and they are now at risk of losing their positions altogether if a solution is not found in the near future.
Hydro is not directly involved in the conflict between Tesla and the union IF Metall, but it was unwilling to comment to Reuters regarding the exact capacity of the components that are affected by the issue.
The issue between Tesla and IF Metall has been going on for months and has to do with the automaker not signing a collective bargaining agreement. Tesla has argued that its employees receive comparable pay and benefits than what they would if it obliged with union demands.
As a result of Tesla’s refusal to sign the agreements, workers at Hydro Ventlanda have stopped producing Tesla components as a sympathy action. It now may cost them their employment.
Tesla has long been against unionization, as CEO Elon Musk has been a proponent of trying to pay and treat workers equally. Although it seems he is against some union organizations, especially the UAW, he has encouraged them to try and hold a vote at some of its facilities, including the Fremont Plant in Northern California. The UAW has never taken Tesla up on this request.
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