Elon Musk has decried a wave of “insane” strikes focused on Tesla workshops in Sweden, as workers target the US electric car manufacturer in a strike calling for collective bargaining rights.
In what has been portrayed as the largest fight in decades to save Sweden’s union model from global labour practices, the powerful trade union IF Metall has been leading a strike across eight Tesla workplaces in Sweden for five weeks.
It is the first time workers for the US carmaker have gone on strike and on Thursday, Musk, the tech billionaire and chief executive of Tesla, made his feelings clear, writing on X, formerly Twitter: “This is insane.”
Musk logic:
This is insane … If it weren’t for workers unions and advocates for human rights and regulating big corporations, I’d have all of you working as indentured slave laborers working for bread and water just to keep you alive for my benefit!
Yes, it is insane to go against unions in a country with a high degree of unionisation, where collective bargaining agreements are signed exactly because they prevent industrial unrest by ensuring the relationship between management and workers isn’t adverserial.
I mean, I say it’s insane, but let’s be honest. Musk is yet another arrogant American CEO who didn’t do his research on how things work in non-domestic markets. It’s as much stupidity and arrogance, as it is insanity. Imagine thinking you somehow know better than companies like McDonalds (who did sign agreements with unions).
Musk seems like the kind of guy who thinks about the Roman Empire entirley too much. So it’s surprising that he’s never heard of the expression ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do.’
Musk is yet another arrogant American CEO who didn’t do his research on how things work in non-domestic markets. It’s as much stupidity and arrogance, as it is insanity.
He doesn’t need to do his research. His obscene wealth makes him an expert on everything, you see.
I’m an American that hasn’t been to many other countries, but Sweden is fortunately one of them. The culture is different from what I’m used to, and it boils down to respecting the dignity of the people around you, and in the process respecting yourself as well.
So, it’s very nice to see the solidarity of the workers, but also not surprising. In a good way.
LOL, being forced to burn $44 billion on Twitter was completely rational.
No, purchasing Twitter without knowing how to run it is “insane”.
Poor guy. It must be so difficult watching his workers joining together to demand their fair share of his company’s profits. It’d be a real shame if workers in other countries follow suit. I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult it must be to be a billionaire. Those poor bastards.
If workers tried this in Canada the police would roll them over.
It’s a crime to block roads and railways in protest here, unless the police like you, then they take selfies with you.
Musk could spend a million dollars per day for 500 years and still be a billionaire. That’s a literally incomprehensible amount of money.
He could single-handedly end world hunger and barely notice a difference in his staggering wealth. Just paying his fair share of taxes would have a seismic effect on the US in so many ways, but instead he hoards more and more, siphoning wealth from those who need it most into coffers so large, he can’t even really notice.
It’s obscene.
Totally is. And the appetite doesn’t seem to be anywhere near the tipping point yet. Unfortunate.
I feel like if someone is insane, it must be Musk, trying to circumvent the unions in a Nordic country, which have one some of the strongest unions and union culture in the world.
They used to have an even greater influence… These days there are no real extended demands, just smaller pay rises for many unions. And the social democratic political parties have severed the historical ties to them i many countries.
The collective agreements are still pretty strong, with unions blocking companies unwilling to agree to these collective Agreements.
Like when Burger King came to Denmark I believe it was, they refused to make collective agreements, and like in Sweden now, many other unions joined in year long boycotts until Burger King caved and agreed to comply.
McDonald’s made collective agreements from the start, but had some tax evasion scheme that resulted in them not paying any taxes for decades up until fairly recently.
There is still cross union solidarity, that flair up now and again. But lobbied so called “yellow unions”, that offers economical security benifits but without politics for a much lower fee price have chipped away at the older more classic unions.
The US is one of the most active places union wise these days. God knows they need it.
“They are insane” = “I’m so far out of touch I can’t understand people who work for a living”
More like ‘I’m a sociopath who thinks petty things like empathy and basic human rights are stupid. Now get back to work, my servants are meant to be seen, not heard.’
- “people giving a shit about the other people in their country”
Billionaires, the true Unskilled Worker
Elmo says something crazy. What a scoop.
Elmo’s great. Musk is a sentient sack of detritus.
Nazicuntsayswhat
@MicroWave Insane how, Elon? Seems you need sanity to cooperate enough to organize a strike.
I don’t see that Tesla can ‘win’ here. They either comply or get out. If the leadership is rational; they cooperate so they can start making money.
Typical rich person mentality. How easily they forget they don’t create wealth in a vacuum. People are only that rich off the hard work of other people
