Union fails to win control of works council at Tesla’s German factory

IG Metall says it will continue fighting for workers’ rights despite failing to win majority on employee body

Europe’s largest trade union has said it will continue to fight for the rights of workers at Elon Musk’s Tesla factory near Berlin, despite failing in its attempt to secure control of the plant’s works council.

IG Metall had hoped to gain majority rights on the elected body of employees that negotiates everything from working hours to pay deals with company management.

But after the three-day vote, which ended on Wednesday, it came second to the non-unionised group Giga United, which won 24 out of 37 seats, with IG Metall’s list securing the remaining 13 seats.

Laura Arndt, the lead candidate of the century-old union, acknowledged defeat, but said IG Metall would continue to play a close role in defending the rights of workers at the factory. “Unfortunately it was not enough to secure a … majority … we will continue to do our utmost in the new works council to bring about change for us and our colleagues at the gigafactory,” she said.

The unusually heated battle had pitted the carmaker’s management against the union and was marked by lawsuits and mutual accusations of slander.

The union had said its struggle was as much against the existential threat posed by multinational conglomerates as it was about the workers at the plant. It accused Tesla of wanting to “bust the union”.

The US electric carmaker said the union was threatening to dent economic growth not just at the plant, but across Germany, and accused it of using the fight to boost membership.

IG Metall has the majority on works councils at all other German carmakers, such as BMW, Volkswagen, and Mercedes, but has been kept the weaker party at the Tesla gigafactory, which opened in 2022, the only Tesla production plant in Europe.

Musk has been outspoken against unions, including on visits to the plant in Grünheide, which employs 10,000 workers. He hinted recently on a video call that the industrial relations row might influence future investment plans for the plant, south-east of Berlin.

Tensions reached a peak last month when Tesla’s management accused an IG Metall member of secretly recording a works council meeting. The union denied the accusation, calling it a “calculated lie”. Both sides took legal action against each other over the claims.

The next works council vote at the plant is due to take place in 2028.