Tesla under scrutiny in Germany amid concerns about working hours
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Tesla is under scrutiny by the German Union IG Metall. The union held its annual news conference saying that the workers at the Tesla Brandenburg plant were working long hours and had little free time.
Tesla under scrutiny in Germany over working hours
The electric vehicle manufacturer is facing criticism in Germany over the working hours of employees in its Brandenburg plant. The criticism is coming from IG Metall and politicians who claim that workers are being subjected to unreasonable working hours, and they are fearing speaking out.
IG Metall has an office located close to Tesla’s Brandenburg plant. The union says that it has been in contact with workers at the plant, with a growing number of them complaining of the long working hours that they spend at the factory, and they have access to limited free time.
IG Metall also said that workers at the plant were constantly afraid to talk about the factory’s working conditions openly. The workers were required to sign non-disclosure agreements as part of their work contract, hence the hesitance to openly criticize the company over the unreasonable working hours.
The concerns around the welfare of employees at the company were exacerbated by a new role advertised on the Tesla career website. The EV maker said that it was looking for a “Security Intelligence Investigator” that would work alongside the legal and human resources team to collect “on-the-ground information both within and beyond Tesla walls in order to protect the company from threats.”
Irene Schulz of IG Metall Berlin-Brandenburg-Sachsen, issued a statement on these concerns saying that the workers at the Tesla factory were enthusiastic when they first joined the company, but with time, the enthusiasm had faded. Schulz also said that Tesla was doing much to improve the working conditions and that the workers had little time left to themselves.
Local politicians also air concerns
The union is not the only one that has expressed concerns about the working conditions at Tesla’s Brandenburg plant. Politicians are also airing their thoughts on the matter, with the German business newspaper Handelsblatt reporting that local politicians from both political divides were concerned about the allegations.
The politicians are calling upon Tesla and the local government to investigate the allegations. Christian Baeumler of the Christian Democrats (CDU) said that the state government needed to enforce occupational safety by having close control at Tesla.
Tesla also required its workers in China to sign non-disclosure agreements. Moreover, the EV maker seems to have a position for “Security Intelligence Advisor” for its different locations, with several LinkedIn profiles showing people who hold the position at the company in Austin, San Francisco, and Shanghai.
