Ongoing efforts by unions in Sweden to pressure Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) into signing a collective agreement have developed into a lawsuit filed by the electric automaker accusing two Swedish agencies of refusing to issue license plates.
Over the weekend, Tesla Sweden initiated lawsuits against the country's Transport Agency and postal service provider, PostNord. This action came in response to IF Metall, a Swedish union, announcing intentions to prevent the issuance of Tesla's license plates through agreements with the entities.
A Swedish court promptly delivered a ruling Monday, ordering the Transport Agency to distribute the license plates within a week or face a hefty fine of one million kroner (approximately $93,692).
“It is true that there has been a decision in which they approve Tesla’s lawsuit,” said lawyers working on the case.
According to the original suits, Tesla had demanded an interim agreement allowing the direct reception of license plates from the manufacturer.
The recent ruling sanctioned this interim arrangement. However, for this agreement to come into effect, the Swedish Transport Agency must still authorize Tesla's direct pickup of the plates.
Failure to grant this permission would result in the agency facing the stipulated fine.
Shares of TSLA are up 0.66% in afternoon trading on Monday.