“You have run a fantastic election campaign in a short time with a clear and convincing program for better working conditions Tesla guided. My warmest congratulations on your great electoral success,” wrote Dirk Schulze, IG Metall-District leader Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony, addressed his candidates on Wednesday evening directed
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For the first time, IG Metall won the most votes in a works council election at the Tesla factory in Grünheide. After the first count, the union and its candidates from List 2 received “Tesla Workers GFBB
” 39.4 percent of the votes – no other list has as many.
IG Metall is thus noticeably expanding its influence as the strongest force in the works council of the Gigafactory, the only European Tesla factory. Previously, there were significantly fewer trade unionists on the committee.
However, despite the success of IG Metall, it cannot be assumed that there will be a turning point in the Tesla factory. Because the union only gets 16 of the 39 places on the works council with its votes. The majority secured non-union lists, including “Giga United” around the current works council leader Michaela Schmitz.
Non-union member Schmitz, for example, warns of “external influences” from the union and speaks out against collective agreements. In doing so, she is in line with plant manager André Thierig, who considers a collective agreement to be “not necessary”.
IG Metall has long criticized the fact that the current works council was close to management and not clearly on the side of the workforce. Schmitz rejects this.
With around 60 percent of the votes for the non-union lists in the works council, it cannot be ruled out that Schmitz and her people will ultimately emerge as winners from this election and will pursue their employer-friendly course under pressure from the Tesla boss Elon Musk (52) continue.
The candidates now have three days to decide whether to accept the election or not. A chairman is then elected. For IG Metall and the Tesla employees, who hope for more co-determination and better working conditions, the tremors continue for now.