Tesla sues Swedish agency as striking workers stop delivering licence plates for its new vehicles
CTV
Tesla on Monday filed a lawsuit against the Swedish state via Sweden's Transport Agency as striking postal workers in the Scandinavian country halted the delivery of licence plates of new vehicles manufactured by the Texas-based automaker.
Tesla on Monday filed a lawsuit against the Swedish state via Sweden's Transport Agency as striking postal workers in the Scandinavian country halted the delivery of licence plates of new vehicles manufactured by the Texas-based automaker.
Tesla is non-unionized globally, but the Swedish workers are demanding that the carmaker sign a collective bargaining agreement, which most employees in Sweden have. Tesla has no manufacturing plant in Sweden, but has several service centers.
Tesla said it was suing "the Swedish state through the Swedish Transport Agency" because not accessing the registration plates "constitutes an unlawful discriminatory attack directed at Tesla."
Mikael Andersson, a press spokesperson for the agency, told The Associated Press in an email that "we at the Swedish Transport Agency do not share this view" that the agency was blocking the distribution of licence plates. "Therefore Tesla has decided to have the issue tested in court, which is their right."
"We have not yet seen the lawsuit and it is therefore difficult for us to give any direct comments. We need to look at the lawsuit and Tesla's reasoning in it," Andersson said.
According to the lawsuit obtained by The Associated Press, Tesla demands that the district court fine the agency 1 million kronor (US$95,383) to "oblige" the Swedish Transport Agency to allow Tesla "retrieve licence plates" within three days from notification of the district court's decision.
The lawsuit was handed in on Monday. Tesla said that the agency has "a constitutional obligation to provide licence plates to vehicle owners."
