In the only European Tesla car factory in Grünheide near Berlin, a new works council will be elected from Monday – IG Metall is also among the lists. A total of nine lists with 234 candidates are running for election. IG Metall, which has 106 candidates, wants more staff, longer breaks on the assembly line, predictable free time, taking on temporary workers, more health protection – and implementing a collective agreement.
“We are in favor of a Tesla in Grünheide that offers employees the good working conditions that are usual in the industry,” said the IG Metall district manager for Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony, Dirk Schulze. The union is calling for higher pay, shorter working hours and more vacation. All of this should be clarified in a legally secure manner in a collective agreement between IG Metall and Tesla.
Tesla doesn’t want a collective agreement
But the US electric car manufacturer is opposing a collective agreement. Plant manager André Thierig does not believe a collective agreement is necessary. He announced annual wage adjustments on Wednesday during a visit from Tesla boss Elon Musk. The incumbent works council leader Michaela Schmitz, who wants to continue, had referred to salary increases of up to 18 percent without a collective agreement.
There was a dispute over the works council election. The Frankfurt (Oder) labor court stopped the works council election on February 13th at the request of IG Metall. The union asked for more time to prepare. The Berlin-Brandenburg State Labor Court then decided that the election could now take place as planned in mid-March. Tesla and the electoral board were successful.
The first works council election was in February 2022 – before the opening. Since then, many more people have been working in the factory in Grünheide – according to the company, there are currently around 12,500 people.
