IG Metall accuses Tesla of poor working conditions at Grünheide plant

Employees of the union report stressful shift systems and a poor working atmosphere. Because of a confidentiality clause, they do not know whether they are allowed to speak to the union at all.

IG Metall is concerned about working conditions at the Brandenburg plant of U.S. e-car maker Tesla. According to the report, the union's members report stressful shift systems, frequent overtime on weekends and an overall workload that is too high due to a lack of staff. That's according to Irene Schulz, IG Metall's district manager for Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony.

Because of a confidentiality agreement in the employment contract, many workers apparently do not know whether they are even allowed to talk to the union about working conditions. "That such questions are asked at all is something we don't know from other companies in this form and with this frequency," Schulz told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

Schulz also reports on a job advertisement that is causing unrest at the plant. Elon Musk's company is looking for a "Security Intelligence Investigator". This person is to proactively and reactively investigate threats to Tesla's proprietary and confidential information. According to Schulz, many workers are now wondering if they themselves will come under scrutiny.