(Jan 7): Tesla Inc blamed trade unions for a reportedly mile-long line of electric vehicles (EVs) at one of its Swedish superchargers on a busy holiday weekend.

The small Swedish town of Malung, situated near several of the Nordic nation’s popular ski resorts, bore the brunt of the crunch on Sunday with more than 150 Tesla owners having to wait in temperatures of -20°C (-4°F), according to reports in local media.

Tesla’s head of charging networks, Max de Zegher, reacted to the queues by calling out the Swedish union members that have been striking for 14 months over the automaker’s refusal to sign collective bargaining agreements with workers at its workshops.

“100+ stalls in Sweden would have been energised this winter if it wasn’t for sympathy strikes,” de Zegher said in a post on X. “Tesla Superchargers are critical infrastructure, especially for peak travel days like this.”

Since October 2023, Tesla has faced a host of sympathy actions by more than a dozen unions across the Nordic region. Mail services, trash collection and the offloading of its EVs at ports have been blockaded at various times over the past year. So far there has been little evidence that either side will back down in a country where over 90% of workers are signed up to a union agreement.

A representative for Tesla in Sweden declined to comment when contacted by Bloomberg News.

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