Tesla is now German: E-car pioneer plans works council elections for Grünheide - and is receiving unexpected criticism

Created: 2022-01-20Updated: 2022-01-20 15:31

The works council elections for the Tesla plant in Grünheide are to take place soon.

© Patrick Pleul/dpa/dpa central image

The new Tesla plant in Grünheide near Berlin is on the home stretch.

Now there should also be a works council.

But IG Metall is going too fast.

Frankfurt - According to the IG Metall union, the works council elections at Tesla's German plant are to take place on February 28.

The election board announced this date in the published election notice, said the head of the IG Metall district of Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony, Birgit Dietze, on Thursday.

Tesla: IG Metall considers works council elections to be too early

The union supports the establishment of a works council, she affirmed.

However, from the point of view of IG Metall, the time of the election was too early because the workforce was only just being established.

According to information from the union, a good 2,000 employees have signed an employment contract with Tesla so far.

Up to 12,000 jobs are planned

Only employees who were already on board at the end of August can run for office. At that time not many workers were employed in production. According to IG Metall, the positions in upper and middle management are currently occupied, and some employees in production have also been hired. The workforce is therefore "not a real image of what we will see when production starts," Dietze continued.

According to the legislator, a new election of the works council is possible at the earliest two years after the previous election and is only held if the workforce has grown by at least half.

It is therefore possible that the future works council will not reflect the workforce, Dietze warned again.

"For IG Metall, it is important that works councils fully represent the workforce."

Tesla: Election date causes criticism

With a view to the election date, it is also important to take a close look at the representation of the entire workforce in the works council at Tesla, IG Metall warned: If the election had been scheduled just one day later, i.e. on March 1st, the September 1st would have been there as well newly hired employees can run for the works council. According to the Works Constitution Act, employees may only run for the works council after six months of service.

According to its own statements, IG Metall has opened an office near the emerging Tesla plant.

"We're close, we're there and we're approachable," said Dietze.

For example, the union provides support with questions about working conditions, the application process and the election of the works council.

The decision to open an office near the new plant was "a right decision" and there is "great interest".