Tesla Workers in Germany Demand Resolution from Federal Government Amid Labor Disputes
A conflict over rejected sick leave, withheld wages and working conditions at the Tesla plant in Grünheide, near Berlin, has prompted the Christian Democratic Union’s (CDU) social wing to call for government intervention.
The CDU’s chairman, Dennis Radtke, stated in an interview with the Tagesspiegel that the fronts between the Tesla management and the IG Metall union have hardened completely. “Tesla needs a political mediation between the employer and the workforce. As a former Bundestag president, the new Federal Labor Minister, Bärbel Bas, is predestined for this role” Radtke said, following a visit to the plant on Monday.
While acknowledging Tesla as a job creator in the region, Radtke emphasized that the company’s blatant disregard for labor and co-determination rights cannot be ignored. “We cannot simply let this slide, nor can we demonize the company as a job motor in the region” he said.
In addition to mediation, the politician stressed the need for legislative action. “We need new laws to bind tariffs, as agreed upon in the coalition agreement” Radtke said, also calling for the closure of legal loopholes. “Currently, Tesla can legally appoint its supervisory board as if it had only 500, not 11,000 employees in Grünheide.