At the plant of the US electric car manufacturer Tesla, IG Metall’s attempt to initially stop the works council elections in March is criticized due to time pressure for employees. The constituency rejected the accusations in an email to employees, available to the German news agency.
Announcement
“We are accused of imposing unnecessary deadlines for the presentation of the lists of proposals at the beginning of the elections. This is not true,” reads the letter from President René Seyfert, who represents the entire constituency. “The time period for elections is established by law and we are bound by these requirements.” The union had applied for an interim injunction to the Frankfurt (Oder) labor court to initially block the second works council election and to campaign for a new date.
The Union sees equal opportunities at risk
IG Metall sees time pressure due to the forced pause in car production at Tesla until this Sunday. The reason was a gap in the supply chain of components following attacks by the Yemeni Houthi militia against ships in the Red Sea. The union sees equal opportunities in the appointment of at-risk candidates. After the operational pause and return to work, employees will only have until February 15 to create an election proposal, recruit candidates and collect signatures.
Works council elections are scheduled for March 18-20. The company has not yet commented on IG Metall’s criticisms. The electoral college was surprised by the allegations and denied that it had violated the principles of a fair and democratic election.
“We strongly disagree with this,” the letter says. “We assume that the Labor Court will classify our plans as legally correct. We will therefore carry out the elections as foreseen in the election notice, unless a court decision makes a change to the plan necessary.” It is the second works council election at Tesla in Grünheide.
If the workforce doubles, a new election is required after two years. In the case of Tesla it is fivefold, writes the electoral committee. This committee is responsible for the preparation and implementation of the works council election. It is made up of employees with voting rights, who may also be members of the works council. The Grünheide plant opened in March 2022 and currently has around 12,500 employees, according to the company.
(mac)
