GRÜNHEIDE (dpa-AFX) – Three weeks before the works council election, a scandal broke out between the factory management and IG Metall at the US electric car manufacturer Tesla in Grünheide near Berlin. Plant manager André Thierig accused a union representative of secretly recording a works council meeting. “For unknown reasons, he recorded the internal meeting and was caught,” wrote plant manager Thierig on the X portal. The police were alerted and Tesla filed a criminal complaint. IG Metall spoke of a smear campaign and rejected the accusation.
“This claim is a blatant and calculated lie,” said the group IG Metall – Tesla Workers GFBB in the Tesla works council. According to her own information, she invites a union secretary to every works council meeting. A works council member of the employers’ group claimed that it was recording the meeting on a laptop. The trade unionist had no opportunity to refute the allegations. The meeting was interrupted, plant security and the police were called, and the laptop was confiscated. Several media outlets previously reported on this.
Police filed a criminal complaint
The police said they filed a criminal complaint on Tuesday and seized evidence. A police spokesman said further action would be discussed with the Frankfurt (Oder) public prosecutor’s office. “We have to check with the public prosecutor’s office what the next steps will be.” The investigation concerns the suspicion of a violation of the confidentiality of the word as well as possible violations of sections of the Works Constitution Act. The spokesman did not give any details.
Tesla sees scandal – IG Metall: Fake allegations
The union sees a set-up game. “Influencing elections with fabricated allegations reminds us of the actions of authoritarian regimes,” said the district leader of IG Metall (IGM) Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony, Jan Otto. “The fact that the police are even being forced to investigate here is absurd.”
The Tesla factory manager rejected the criticism. “I see the IGM’s statement as another scandal,” said Thierig. To portray the situation as untrue or as staged by management is more than questionable. “After all, there were several dozen witnesses in front of whom the IG Metall representative said that he had allegedly forgotten to turn off his microphone.”
Gigafactory faces important election
In the only European Tesla factory Elon Musk A new works council will be elected in Brandenburg at the beginning of March. There has been a conflict between Tesla and IG Metall for a long time. IG Metall is demanding better working conditions at Tesla and commitment to a collective agreement. The car manufacturer rejects a collective agreement and says it will pay higher wages.
In the factory boss’s opinion, the works council election will determine future success: “I personally cannot imagine that the decision-makers in the USA will continue to push ahead with the expansion of the factory if the majority vote goes in the direction of IG Metall.” In the 2024 works council election, IG Metall was the largest group, but the majority of seats went to non-union representatives./vr/mow/DP/jha
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