Tesla, the Gigafactory in Berlin in the sights of the unions: “shifts increasingly exhausting, workers are afraid to speak”
Tesla, the Gigafactory in Berlin in the sights of the unions: “shifts increasingly exhausting, workers are afraid to speak”
The IG Metall union lashes out against Tesla. “German workers subjected to increasingly grueling hours”. And the company responds by hiring an investigator.
Tesla’s European Gigafactory ends up at the center of the cyclone. “Exhausting work shifts and threats of retaliation for those who protest”, are the accusations raised by politics and trade unions.
German trade union IG Metall says Tesla workers are afraid to speak freely about their working conditions. During its annual press conference, IG Metall, which has an office near the factory and says it is in regular contact with workers, said a growing number of workers were reporting a sudden spike in shifts.
German workers – denounces the union – would be increasingly concerned about freely discussing their working conditions because of the non-disclosure agreements they signed when they were hired.
To accentuate the controversy we think a new job announcement published on the official website of the car manufacturer. “We are looking for an investigator with intelligence experience”. It goes without saying that the unions fear that this new professional figure could serve precisely to supervise the employees, providing the company with information on any trade union activities.
The unions’ complaints were taken up by local politics. The CDU, the cdx party, has also expressed concern about the working conditions of Tesla employees. Meanwhile, the local administration declined to comment.
- Tesla under fire in Germany over union concerns on working hours, contracts (reuters.com)
