this post was submitted on 27 Oct 2023
495 points (99.2% liked)

Europe

8484 readers
1 users here now

News/Interesting Stories/Beautiful Pictures from Europe πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡Ί

(Current banner: Thunder mountain, Germany, πŸ‡©πŸ‡ͺ ) Feel free to post submissions for banner pictures

Rules

(This list is obviously incomplete, but it will get expanded when necessary)

  1. Be nice to each other (e.g. No direct insults against each other);
  2. No racism, antisemitism, dehumanisation of minorities or glorification of National Socialism allowed;
  3. No posts linking to mis-information funded by foreign states or billionaires.

Also check out [email protected]

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 221 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Fighting the Unions in Sweden. Good fucking luck, better prepare to pack your bags and leave.

[–] [email protected] 147 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The Nordic countries make up five of the top six most unionized countries, with Sweden being in 3rd place.

Good luck beating them, Tesla! You're gonna need it.

[–] [email protected] 113 points 10 months ago (2 children)

As the articles says

Around 90 percent of employees in Sweden are covered by a collective bargaining agreement

And while Tesla doesn't have to fight 90 percent of all employess yet. If they're bringing in strikebreakers all unions must act to not let a prescedence happen.

Not only their own employees would strike, but also employees of suppliers and everything that is connected to Tesla so nothing will reach the company unless Elon personally swings into a truck and drives the stuff into his factories.

[–] [email protected] 43 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Unionized and in the automotive sector. Would 100% strike in support of the Tesla workers. I'd rather see Tesla leave Sweden than have them succeed in this.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

This is where the game of chicken is. The only question it boils down to is does Elon love winning pointless battles that require self sacrifice or does he love money? It’s a hard question tbh but I think deep down we know he’s a money grub as a priority, in which case he’ll cave and compromise to keep selling cars in Sweden

[–] [email protected] 21 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

I don't know about Sweden but bringing in scabs is generally illegal in Germany. That is, you can't bring in temporaries, you can, of course, hire more people but then you'll have to keep them, and of course they can strike.

Amazon was quite successful keeping unions out here because the kind of people they employ aren't terribly union-affine, also, noone wants to stay at amazon anyway, but Tesla? A car manufacturer up against IG Metall? In East Germany? Tesla can either cave, leave, or get beaten into submission.

[–] [email protected] 129 points 10 months ago (3 children)

I think they forget the difference between America unions and European unions

[–] [email protected] 103 points 10 months ago (2 children)

They always do. Walmart completely running against a wall in Germany is still getting a chuckle out of me.

And Sweden is two steps above Germany in that refard. So good luck to Tesla to not get stomped. I'd wish the unions luck, but they don't need it.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago (1 children)

What’s the story about Walmart in Germany?

[–] [email protected] 26 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Can't find any solid article to link to but I remember reading one where it was described Walmart tried to implement american practices in german soil: lots of eye contact, forced smiles, empty conversation and team building exercises. Daily. Employees called the syndicates. The syndicates brought a large bucket of lube.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

Articles? Try papers. It was so much of a shit-show that it's become the standard case study of how to not expand to other countries. And the failure goes well beyond how they treated employees, it all starts by trying to compete with Aldi and Lidl on their home turf, saying "we'll have lower prices" while also trying to "convince the German customer with great service", which of course costs money. And Germans don't want people to pack their groceries that costs money.

They also ignored laws left and right, again not just when it comes to employment (e.g. trying to forbid that employees date each other) but also more general, say, having loss leaders: In Germany, you can't sell products below the wholesale price you paid yourself. You can sell it at zero profits, but not at a loss (unless, say, it's ice cream and your refrigerator just failed). Other strategic mistakes include buying up stores from a German chain that failed because it had shit store locations.


That's not to say that you can't export how you do things to other countries -- case in point, Aldi: They started to become big in the US after the financial crisis but Aldi SΓΌd opened their first store in the US in 1976. They stayed small, grew organically, meanwhile learning how Americans tick, what products they like, where they're willing to buy store-brand and where not (e.g. store-brand toothpaste is a non-starter), and learned how to talk to Americans, how to explain why things are done like Aldi does them. And, TBH, "Don't waste your grocery money on a bagger" is easier to sell than the opposite.

And they don't have much issue convincing people that their store brand stuff is good, it's generally produced according to EU standards. Like the bread containing sourdough instead of a chemical cocktail, and chocolate that's, no, not stellar, but not full of cheap non-cocoa fats. Meanwhile, Wallmart was selling duvet covers that didn't fit any blankets or pillows any German had. Figures that standard sizes differ between countries and you should pay attention to such stuff.

They also have insanely high employee retention for US standards, and aren't unionised -- They aren't unionised in Germany, either, which is only to like 5% up to Aldi fighting it actively, the rest is their, for lack of better word, paternalistic company culture: You don't become manager at Aldi without having swept floors, stocked shelves, and sat at the register, and even when you're a manager that's still what you do, just not while there's paperwork that has to be dealt with. That's not standard US corporate culture -- but it pretty much is world-wide small owner-run store culture: Everyone does everything, as needed, and bosses wield mops. It's a busy work day every day but the pay is good, drama is minimal, and the employer is loyal to you.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I have friends that worked for a company that a US company bought. They sent people from the "top brass" from the US to reform the company and implement an American work culture. This is Norway, so 90 percent of what they implemented was illegal.

The boss/employer culture is pretty different, too. If you set a meeting after 15.00 on a friday, people will call you an idiot to your face and refuse to attend - no matter your position in the company.

"The American dream" lasted only a few months after almost all of the developers quit and got new jobs within seconds. Last I've heard of that company was when they closed doors.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 71 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I remember reading once about how James Cameron was all too happy to take millions in tax cuts to film Aliens in England, but then became a little crying bitch when he realized that English unionized workers actually protect their workers. He got mad that they wouldn't work through lunch or breaks, or work in his insane schedule or whims, or do dangerous work. Made me lose a lot of respect for Cameron.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 months ago

I didn’t know this. It’s psychotic to expect everyone to be on the same page as the guy who gets most of the credit, rewards and freedom of expression. Especially if you’re only job is to bring the coffee

[–] [email protected] 58 points 10 months ago

There was an interview with a swedish spokeperson from tesla published the other day, they had no idea that what they were doing is against laws and contracts

[–] [email protected] 110 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Good. The whole point of a union is to band together and work towards better conditions for all their members.

"But we don't sign those anywhere else!" is not a good argument by Tesla

[–] [email protected] 27 points 10 months ago

It is a great argument. It shows that there is no point negotiating with them civilally. The only language they understand is force. So the strike needs to be maintained until Tesla ist forced to either agree to the Union contract or give up their factory.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago

They are finding the difference between a global corporation vs a multi-national corporation.

[–] [email protected] 93 points 10 months ago (4 children)

Tesla seems to be about to learn some hard lessons about workers rights in various EU countries. lol

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 90 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Do it fash. I fucking dare you.

Our "strikebreakers" will just wreck Tesla's factories like they did Kellogg's.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 10 months ago

That is awesome!

[–] [email protected] 81 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Good fucking luck. Being a strikebreaker is among the most dishonorable things you can be in Sweden.

[–] [email protected] 49 points 10 months ago (1 children)

In Denmark the term is a derogative.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 10 months ago (1 children)

To be fair, the English "scab" is also derogatory.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago

I'm in the US, and if someone I knew was a "strikebreaker" I'd be absolutely disgusted and I'd make that known to them.

[–] [email protected] 79 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Break them Sweden. Make it so they can never claim they don't sign collective bargaining agreements again.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 78 points 10 months ago

Hah! Idiots. Typical Americans, thinking they can just ignore 'the poor people' like they do in the US.

[–] [email protected] 76 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The company is refusing to sign one, IF Metall has reported, saying that company claims that it doesn't sign collective bargaining agreements anywhere in the world.

Well then you fucking should.

[–] [email protected] 50 points 10 months ago

Then don’t do work in Sweden, simple as that.

[–] [email protected] 69 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Bring out the strikebreakerbreakers.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 10 months ago (7 children)

We brought out Anton Nilsson once, then the strikebreaker ship Amalthea got bombed.

See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Nilson

load more comments (7 replies)
[–] [email protected] 59 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Dear vikings, please rip them a new one.

[–] [email protected] 46 points 10 months ago
[–] [email protected] 42 points 10 months ago

Tesla opens factory in space, everyone suffocates, Tesla argue β€œwell we don’t need to provide oxygen in other places”…

Chuds.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Musk is a giant turd, his lackeys and bootlickers are even worse. He representes everything wrong with super rich. People should stop taking his shit and fuck him off whenever the opportunity arises.

I am 100% on the side of the workers and hope they manage to give him the figurative boot.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 37 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Don't let shite 'Murican "ideals" infect the Nordics!

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 35 points 10 months ago (2 children)

"If they start employing strikebreakers and actively try to break the strike, then they have mobilised the entire union movement against them. Not just the Swedish Trade Union Confederation, but all of them. Then the issue at hand becomes less important."

I can already see the German IG Metall union grinning and looking at the new Tesla factory in Germany. I would be careful if I were Tesla. Unions in Europe are extremely well connected.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 33 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

tf is a strike breaker. A tazer?

[–] [email protected] 39 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Temp workers that replace the jobs on strike

[–] [email protected] 69 points 10 months ago (2 children)

You know, most countries that have strike laws forbid this. In Spain, for instance, if the workers are on a strike, the company is forbidden to replace those positions in a strike. Neither with temporary, nor people from other places. And the company cannot fire them. Basically it's a shackle, either you solve your strike or you are out of business.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 10 months ago

Good thing Elon has never broken the law in full view of everyone.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Elon should build a factory in Spain. I really want to see how that works out.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 24 points 10 months ago (4 children)
load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 30 points 10 months ago
[–] [email protected] 28 points 10 months ago

Lieutenant Valeris : 400 years ago on the planet Earth, workers who felt their livelihood threatened by automation flung their wooden shoes called sabots into the machines to stop them. Hence the word "sabotage."

[–] [email protected] 28 points 10 months ago

How to get your factory burned to the ground 101

[–] [email protected] 20 points 10 months ago

Good luck with that

load more comments
view more: next β€Ί