BERLIN, Jan 16 (Reuters) – Tesla ( TSLA.O ) has come under fire from Germany’s IG Metall union and politicians amid allegations by workers about unreasonable working hours and fears of speaking out at the Brandenburg factory, with some calling for an investigation. car manufacturer
At its annual news conference, IG Metall, which has an office near the plant and says it is in regular contact with workers, said a growing number were reporting longer working hours with little free time.
Workers were also increasingly afraid to openly discuss their working conditions because of the non-disclosure agreements they were told to sign alongside their employment contracts, IG Metall said.
Tesla’s career site advertises a new role as a “Security Intelligence Investigator” who will work with legal and human resources departments to conduct “local information gathering both within Tesla’s walls and beyond to protect the company.” threats”, have exacerbated these concerns.
“Employees at Tesla started with great enthusiasm for the project. As time goes on, we notice that enthusiasm is fading,” Irene Schulz of IG Metall Berlin-Brandenburg-Sachsen said in a statement.
“Tesla doesn’t do enough to improve working conditions and leaves too little time for rest, family and recovery.”
Tesla was not immediately available for comment.
Tesla China has also asked some staff to sign non-disclosure agreements, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter. Reuters found several people on LinkedIn with the title “Security Intelligence Investigator” who worked for Tesla in Austin, San Francisco and Shanghai.
German business newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Monday that local politicians from the center-left SPD to the center-right CDU expressed concern over the allegations, calling for an investigation by both Tesla and the local government.
“The state government of Brandenburg must enforce job security at Tesla through close supervision,” Christian Baumler of the Christian Democrats (CDU) told Handelsblatt.
Brandenburg’s government was not immediately available for comment.
Reporting by Victoria Valderse, additional reporting by Zhang Yan; editing by Jason Neely
Our standards. Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
.
Comments