A new works council will be elected at the Tesla factory in Grünheide starting today. This is the second works council election at the plant. This time, nine lists with more than 200 candidates are running for election.
A new works council is being elected at the only European Tesla car factory in Grünheide near Berlin. The employees can elect the new works council from March 18th to 20th. IG Metall hopes to expand its influence in the committee with the elections now taking place.
This is already the second works council election at the German Telsa plant. The first works council election was in February 2022 – before the factory opened. Since then, the number of employees has increased significantly. According to the company, there are currently around 12,500 people.
IG Metall wants to enforce a collective agreement
A total of nine lists with 234 candidates are running for election. IG Metall, which has 106 candidates, is running for the election with a ten-point plan. Among other things, she wants to enforce longer breaks on the assembly line, predictable free time, at least 20 days of vacation, the taking on of temporary workers, more health protection and 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. The active IG Metall workers in the plant work towards this goal with incredible passion and steadfastness,” confirms Dirk Schulze, IG Metall district manager in Berlin. Brandenburg-Saxony, the demands of the union.
The US electric car manufacturer Tesla has so far opposed a collective agreement. Plant manager André Thierig does not believe this is necessary. He recently announced annual wage adjustments during a visit from Tesla boss Elon Musk. The incumbent works council head Michaela Schmitz had referred to salary increases of up to 18 percent without a collective agreement.