The management at Tesla's German Gigafactory is increasing pressure on its employees amid an exceptionally high rate of absenteeism. It is doing so with the support of 'Faction 23', a majority alliance of staff representatives within the works council. A new company agreement allows for retroactive deductions of up to three years of wages for questionable sick leave. The IG Metall union is contesting this.
At the Tesla factory in Grünheide, near Berlin, the conflict between management and unionised employees is intensifying once again. During the summer, company management reorganised work processes and working hours in such a way that break times were reduced, without communicating the change properly, something it has acknowledged.
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Article authors
Thomas Schnee
Correspondent in Germany
As a Berlin correspondent for the French and Swiss press since the late 1990s, I cover a wide range of economic, political and social issues, with a particular focus on the German business and labour market. My areas of interest include co-determination, digitalisation, demographics and ESG/DEI policies.