In the works council election at the Brandenburg plant of the US manufacturer Tesla, the IG Metall union suffered a setback and was unable to expand its influence. Almost 60 percent of the seats went to non-union lists, the company said. Two years ago it was almost 53 percent. Of the 39 seats in the new works council, 23 seats are on lists outside the union; two years ago, ten of the 19 seats went to non-union lists. According to its own information, IG Metall is the largest group with probably 16 members
More than 12,000 employees were called upon to elect the works council from Monday to Wednesday. According to Tesla, nine lists with 224 candidates competed. The new works council is expected to start work next week. There had been a dispute over the works council election. The Frankfurt (Oder) labor court wanted to stop the election at the request of IG Metall. The union demanded more time for preparation – also with a view to the production stop in January due to the uncertain situation on the Red Sea. The Berlin-Brandenburg State Labor Court then decided that the election could take place as planned.
IG Metall is demanding better working conditions for the employees in Grünheide and binding them to a collective agreement. Tesla, on the other hand, 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. 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.