Tesla Giga Berlin dismisses union-affiliated works council member

10/14/2024 12:11 PM

Tesla’s Gigafactory near Berlin, Germany has let go of a works council member who was affiliated with the union IG Metall, and the union has now responded saying that the company has been using “aggressive tactics” against workers attempting to unionize.

On Monday, IG Metall claimed that management at Tesla’s Grünheide Gigafactory fired a works council member who was affiliated with the union, according to a report from Reuters. The dismissal was made without notice, the union says in its statement, and it has also claimed that Tesla has been threatening every IG Metall works council member at the company with dismissal.

“This dismissal is yet another attempt to intimidate IG Metall workers at the plant,” IG Metall said in a statement.

The union also said that Tesla was using “aggressive tactics against all those in the plant who are working together for humane and fair working conditions.”

At the time of writing, neither IG Metall nor Tesla has responded to Teslarati’s requests for additional information.

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The news comes as IG Metall attempts to encourage Tesla to sign a collective bargaining agreement. It also comes just weeks after Plant Manager André Thierig claimed that workers who had been calling in sick were taking advantage of the system, following reports that management had been visiting peoples’ homes to check that they were actually ill.

Thierig has also said that the works council election that took place a few months ago showed that workers didn’t want a trade union works council, with as many as 80 percent voting against unionization.

In July, Works Council Head Michaela Schmitz said that IG Metall was exploiting works council members, adding that their requests were a hindrance to Tesla delivering its products and “achieving great results” for consumers.

“I'm trying to put it charmingly. Unfortunately, we have members of the works council here who tend to allow themselves to be exploited by the union from outside,” Schmitz said during a meeting. “And they're trying to assert the interests of the union along the way. In the end, of course, this prevents us from achieving great results for you again.”

IG Metall union claims Tesla workers are joining over health and safety concerns

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