IG Metall supports the planned factory expansion of the electric car manufacturer Tesla near Berlin and is calling for dialogue in view of citizens’ concerns. After the clear no vote in a citizen survey in the community of Grünheide in Brandenburg, the union appealed to the company to take up the concerns. Tesla wants to expand production and also expand the site to include a freight station and logistics areas. Around two thirds of the residents of Grünheide voted against expanding the site in the survey.
“In principle, IG Metall supports the expansion of the plant, which will create thousands of jobs in the automotive industry,” said the IG Metall district manager for Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony, Dirk Schulze, to the dpa. “It is important that Tesla seeks dialogue with citizens and responds to people’s concerns and objections. An expansion with an almost doubling of industrial jobs would be for the state of Brandenburg and for Berlin and therefore also for a larger catchment area is an advantage.”
Criticism: More than 100 hectares of forest are to be cleared
The car manufacturer wants to build a freight station, warehouses and a company daycare center on an adjacent area of around 170 hectares. The expansion should also be seen against the background that Tesla wants to expand production on the existing site and double the planned 500,000 cars per year to one million. Conservationists and residents criticize the fact that more than 100 hectares of forest will be cleared for the expansion. The municipal council in Grünheide still has to approve the development plan. Several community representatives have announced that they will follow the citizens’ vote.
IG Metall once again campaigned for good and secure jobs with collective agreements. “The opinion from the surrounding area is quite clear, with over 60 percent rejecting the planned expansion,” said the district manager. “We think this is also an expression of the fact that Tesla unfortunately does not present itself as an exemplary employer in the region.” The union accused the company of “bad treatment of its employees” and of being “buttoned towards the population”. Tesla had rejected the allegations. Before the survey, the car manufacturer informed the residents of the region on an information tour.
Tesla: Expansion is a big win for the community
Tesla is sticking to an expansion even after residents say no, but is relying on cooperation. The company says it wants to coordinate further steps with everyone involved based on the feedback from the past few weeks. The logistical optimization of the plant is a great benefit for the community. The goal is to shift a lot of truck traffic to rail and expand the infrastructure around the factory.
The relationship between the car manufacturer and IG Metall is considered tense. After a production stop due to the situation in the Red Sea, the union wanted to go to court to obtain more time for the planned second Tesla works council election. The Frankfurt (Oder) labor court granted an application by IG Metall for an interim injunction to stop the election and referred to procedural errors by the electoral board.
