Union fails to win control of works council at Tesla's German factory

"Unfortunately it was not enough to secure a majority we will continue to do our utmost in the new works council to bring about change for us and our colleagues at the gigafactory. The unusually heated battle had pitted the carmaker's management against the union and was marked by lawsuits and mutual accusations of slander."

"IG Metall has the majority on works councils at all other German carmakers, such as BMW, Volkswagen, and Mercedes, but has been kept the weaker party at the Tesla gigafactory, which opened in 2022, the only Tesla production plant in Europe. Musk has been outspoken against unions, including on visits to the plant in Grunheide, which employs 10,000 workers."

"The union had said its struggle was as much against the existential threat posed by multinational conglomerates as it was about the workers at the plant. It accused Tesla of wanting to bust the union. The US electric carmaker said the union was threatening to dent economic growth not just at the plant, but across Germany."

Europe's largest trade union, IG Metall, failed to gain majority control of the works council at Tesla's Berlin gigafactory despite a three-day election. The non-unionized group Giga United won 24 of 37 seats while IG Metall secured 13 seats. The election was marked by intense conflict, including lawsuits and accusations between Tesla management and the union. IG Metall maintains majority representation at all other major German automakers but remains the weaker party at Tesla's only European production facility, which employs 10,000 workers. Despite the defeat, union leadership pledged continued efforts to protect worker interests on the works council.

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