IG Metall is concerned about the working conditions at the electric car manufacturer Tesla in Grünheide near Berlin. Employees reported to the union that they were dissatisfied with stressful shift systems, frequent overtime at weekends, a very high overall workload and too few staff, said Irene Schulz, district manager of IG Metall for Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony, on Thursday in Berlin.
The employees have to sign a non-disclosure agreement with the employment contract, which is referred to again and again in everyday company life. They are unsure whether they are allowed to talk to the union about the employment contracts at all. “We don’t know from other companies that such questions are asked in this form and with such frequency,” said Schulz. When asked, Tesla initially did not comment on the allegations.
The district manager of the union also reported on a job advertisement for a security intelligence investigator, which caused many questions in the company. “You will conduct both proactive and reactive investigations and actively address internal and external threats to Tesla’s proprietary and confidential information,” the company’s job posting reads. Many employees are now wondering what exactly the content of these investigations is supposed to be – and whether they themselves might come into focus, said Schulz.