Workers at Tesla’s German plant have signed a petition demanding better working conditions, as the powerful IG Metall union pushes to expand its foothold at the only European factory of Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company.
Over 3,000 employees — more than a quarter of the plant’s workforce — have signed a petition asking for more breaks, better staffing and an end to management harassment, according to IG Metall, after a survey by the union found more than 90 per cent of staff had suffered from work-related physical issues, such as back pain.
Tesla’s production facility is the only car plant in Germany where wages are not set through union negotiations. Its works council, which represents employees on a company’s supervisory board, is led by a non-union affiliated member of staff, an anomaly in Germany’s heavily unionised automotive industry.