Swedish unions upset after Tesla opens two new Superchargers

Tesla Sweden is still dealing with a number of strikes due to its conflict with IF Metall, but the electric vehicle maker seems to be getting better at overcoming the unions’ efforts. 

Tesla’s clever workarounds have resulted in network owner Telge Nät apologizing to the unions after two new Superchargers were opened despite the sympathy strikes of the Elektrikerna union and Seko.

Tesla Sweden’s New Superchargers

While Tesla’s main conflict in Sweden is with trade union IF Metall, a number of other unions have initiated sympathy strikes against the company. These include the Elektrikerna union and Seko, both of which have initiated efforts to block the launch of new Superchargers.

As noted in a CarUp report, however, Tesla Sweden recently opened two new Supercharger locations in the city of Södertälje. The first was a site with 16 Supercharger stalls in the Moraberg shopping area, and it was followed by a large 20-stall Supercharger at Vasa Handelsplats. The new Superchargers were appreciated by EV owners, as even non-Teslas use them, and they are among the most reliable and most affordable in the market.

Tesla Sweden celebrated the launch of its two new Superchargers in the country. “Södertälje is a long-awaited destination for fast charging, and Tesla’s two new stations enable comfortable, fossil-free, and economical trips between the east and west coasts and to southern Sweden,” the electric vehicle maker stated.

Angry Unions and Apologies

The unions were not happy at all that Tesla Sweden was able to overcome their blockade. Dennys Bello, press officer for the Elektrikerna union, noted that Tesla seems to be tapping the services of foreign companies and flying in people to help launch its charging stations. “It is a good question how this has happened. We think it is unfortunate. But they seem to have their methods. They bring in foreign companies and fly in people, we think,” Bello stated.

Network owners Telge Nät has issued an apology to the unions, stating that they regret the launch of the new Superchargers. In a comment, Erik Elowsson, press officer at the Telge Group, highlighted that they are not in any way overriding the union’s efforts. 

“We can confirm that two Tesla-owned facilities in Södertälje have been connected contrary to the purpose of the current conflict measures. We regret this. We want to make it clear that we had no intention of overriding Seko’s conflict measures. We have taken strong measures to ensure that this does not happen again. We respect the Swedish model, and stand up for the value of collective agreements and see strength in the dialogue we have with Seko,” Elowsson stated.

Seko, for their part, demanded an apology and correction from Telge Nät. As per Seko’s head of information Jonas Pettersson, “The company has responded that it is a mistake, and we have had a good dialogue with them. They have said that this will never be repeated. Of course, it is unfortunate that it has happened. We feel confident that Telge is now taking the necessary measures to ensure that it never happens again.”