Tesla Market Share in Sweden Increases Despite Labor Conflict

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has increased its market share in Sweden in 2024 despite a labor conflict targeting the company for almost a year, car sales data from the Nordic country showed on Tuesday.

Tesla sold 16,478 cars in Sweden in the first nine months of the year, an increase of 1% from the same period of 2023. This lifted the automaker’s overall market share to 8.5% in 2024, up from 7.8% a year prior, according to Mobility Sweden statistics.

The U.S. group led by billionaire Elon Musk is at the center of a dispute in Sweden over its refusal to sign a collective bargaining agreement, allowing labor union IF Metall to negotiate on behalf of workers.

The conflict began when a group of Tesla mechanics went on strike in late October 2023, and more than a dozen unions have since announced sympathy actions, including dockworkers, electricians, maintenance crews, and cleaners.

On Monday, labor union Vision joined the fray, announcing that up to 40 members at the city of Gothenburg’s power company will stop servicing Tesla charging points unless the conflict is resolved by October 10.

Tesla claims it offers conditions as good as, or better than, those demanded by the union. The company has managed to keep operations running, including employing non-union staff.

While dockworkers across the Nordic region have tried to prevent Tesla from transporting cars to Sweden, the Swedish transport union stated that the company has bypassed its blockade by bringing vehicles in on trucks or by train.

Musk expressed in April that he believed the storm had passed for Tesla’s business in Sweden, even as the labor union actions continued.

Neither Tesla nor the IF Metall union immediately responded to requests for comment when contacted by Reuters.