IG Metall wants a collective agreement
While the first works council election in 2022 took place before the factory opened, around 12,500 people now work in the factory. IG Metall hopes to increase its influence. She demands better working conditions and commitment to a collective agreement.
Tesla rejects a collective agreement and sees many of the union’s demands, such as occupational safety and better conditions for temporary workers, already being implemented. The works council itself may neither call for a strike nor negotiate a collective agreement. However, the works council ensures compliance with the collective agreement if the union can negotiate one with Tesla.
The previous works council chairwoman Michaela Schmitz ran again. The Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony district manager, Dirk Schulze, had accused the previous works council of not being completely on the side of the workforce. Schmitz rejected this and, for example, pointed out salary increases of up to 18 percent without a collective agreement. According to factory manager André Thierig, Tesla wants to offer annual wage changes.
Environmental activists have been protesting in the forest near the factory since the end of February against Tesla’s planned expansion of the site to include a freight station. For this to happen, the forest would have to be cleared. After a court decision, the protest camp with tree houses can initially remain in place.