Europe’s biggest trade union announced it will keep defending employees at Elon Musk’s Tesla plant near Berlin, even though it failed to obtain control of the site’s works council.
IG Metall had aimed to secure a majority on the elected staff body that negotiates matters ranging from working hours to wage agreements with management.
After the three‑day ballot that concluded on Wednesday, the union was overtaken by the independent group Giga United, which captured 24 of the 37 seats, leaving IG Metall with the remaining 13.
Laura Arndt, the principal candidate of the century‑old union, admitted the loss but affirmed that IG Metall would remain actively involved in safeguarding workers’ rights at the plant. “It was not sufficient to obtain a … majority … we will continue to give our all in the new works council to achieve change for us and our colleagues at the gigafactory,” she said.
The unusually intense contest pitted the automaker’s management against the union and featured lawsuits and mutual accusations of defamation.
The union argued that its fight was as much about confronting the existential danger posed by multinational corporations as it was about the plant’s workforce, accusing Tesla of trying to “break the union.”
Tesla, the American electric‑vehicle maker, countered that the union’s actions could harm economic growth not only at the factory but throughout Germany, and claimed the dispute was being used to swell its membership.
IG Metall holds majority representation on works councils at all other German car manufacturers, including BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes, yet it remains the weaker side at the Tesla gigafactory, which opened in 2022 as the sole Tesla production site in Europe.
Musk has repeatedly voiced opposition to unions, including during visits to the Grünheide plant that employs about 10,000 staff. In a recent video call he suggested that the labour‑relations dispute could affect future investment decisions for the facility southeast of Berlin.
Tensions peaked last month when Tesla’s management alleged that an IG Metall member had covertly recorded a works‑council meeting. The union rejected the claim, labeling it a “calculated lie.” Both parties subsequently launched legal proceedings against one another over the matter.
The next election for the works council at the plant is scheduled for 2028.
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