Summary
- IG Metall secures 13 of 37 seats
- Union accuses Tesla of stoking anti-union sentiment
- Tesla’s Berlin plant is its only European production site
- Non-union members hold majority in Tesla’s works council
BERLIN, (Reuters) – Germany’s top industrial union on Wednesday suffered a setback at the works council elections at Tesla’s plant near Berlin, once again failing to win a majority after a campaign marked by mud-slinging and legal challenges.
IG Metall, which has been fighting for more influence at Tesla’s gigafactory in Gruenheide, said it secured 13 of the works council’s 37 seats, leaving the committee’s majority in non-unionised hands.
Voting at the plant, the U.S. electric car maker’s only European production site, had started on Monday.
The current council is also dominated by non-union members, with IG Metall, which has for years been fighting for better working conditions, holding 16 of the council’s 39 seats, meaning an actual loss in representation.
Tesla said the new works council would start its work in the coming week.
“Unfortunately, it was not enough to secure a … majority,” IG Metall’s lead candidate Laura Arndt said in a statement. “We will continue to do our utmost in the new works council to bring about change for us and our colleagues at the Gigafactory.”
IG Metall has accused management of stoking anti-union sentiment. Plant director Andre Thierig has countered that the union is focused solely on boosting IG Metall membership.
Works councils, elected by staff, are a cornerstone of German labour relations, representing employees in talks with management.
IG Metall dominates councils across German carmakers – including Volkswagen , BMW and Mercedes – but remains the underdog at Tesla, whose CEO Elon Musk is outspoken in his criticism of unions.
Tensions peaked in February when Tesla accused an IG Metall trade unionist of secretly recording a works council meeting and filed a criminal complaint.
IG Metall dismissed the allegation as a “calculated lie.”
Reporting by Rachel More, Christina Amann and Christoph Steitz. Editing by Mark Potter and Nick Zieminski
