The new Chinese containment again raises serious economic problems. In Shanghai, residents are still confined. Tesla has just relaunch production at its Gigafactory and according to a recent report by BloombergElon Musk’s company would force its employees to sleep on site to make up for lost time.
Tesla employees are forced to sleep in the Gigafactory
After a three-week shutdown due to a new wave of Covid-19 infections in Shanghai, Tesla has decided to distribute sleeping bags and mattresses to its employees, so that they stay put at night. They are forced to sleep on the floor. An obligation of their employer to make up for the time lost because of this new confinement. For several weeks, the multinationals have been pressuring the government to lift the restrictions so that production can resume.
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Today, the situation is ambiguous in the Shanghai region. The companies have received permission to restart production, but city lockdown is still in effect. To comply with this policy, manufacturers are “obligated” to confine their employees to the factories. It’s a solution that seems to suit Tesla. The American automaker has sent a letter to its employees detailing the conditions in which they will be forced to live in the coming weeks.
Strict rules have been defined for this new community life.
Areas have been designated for plant employees to sleep in, one for catering and another for showers. According to the memo sent to employees, three meals a day will be distributed and an allowance of 400 yuan (55 euros) will compensate the employees of the Gigafactory for this uncomfortable situation. Tesla specifies that a policy aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19 within the factory will be put in place. Employees will be required to test themselves daily for the first three days, have their temperature checked twice a day and wash their hands four times a day.
Companies wishing to resume operations had to Shanghai had to submit detailed plans to local health authorities on how they would go prevent the spread of Covid-19 in their places of work before getting a green light. This “closed circuit” system would already be effective in Tesla’s Gigafactory since Monday, April 19. The employees will live in the factory until May 1. The new Gigafactory produces just under 2,000 cars a day, which means it has lost around 40,000 units since the lockdown began.
Tesla’s case is not isolated. Many employees have been sleeping for several days at the foot of their desk. This is the case in several banks and other financial institutions in Shanghai.