Germany's Largest Union Prepares Battle Against Tesla: "We Can Endure a Long Fight"

With 2.3 million members, IG Metal seeks to defend the collective pay agreements that Elon Musk has tried to ignore.
Germany's Largest Union Prepares Battle Against Tesla: "We Can Endure a Long Fight"
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Entrepreneur Staff
2 min read
This article was translated from our Spanish edition using AI technologies. Errors may exist due to this process.

In the midst of Elon Musk's hot streak after becoming the second richest man in the world , a conflict arises that puts Tesla in check in Germany. IG Metal , the largest union in the European country, is getting ready for a battle in defense of the collective wage agreements that the tycoon has tried to bypass. .

The conflict arises because the American company Tesla is building its Gigafactory in Grunheide, on the outskirts of Berlin. The union seeks to enforce the conditions set out in collective wage agreements , a common practice in Germany and one that Elon Musk's company tried to ignore, Bloomberg reported.

 

 

After Tesla did not respond to a letter from IG Metall calling for dialogue, hundreds of people gathered in Berlin to protest and ask Musk to accept the agreement to establish stable labor relations.

“We are in contact with our sister organizations at other Tesla facilities, so we are fully aware of the personal allegations, as well as the legal charges and litigation against Tesla . We can interpret this as a clue of what we can expect from Tesla in Grunheide, ”said Birgit Dietze, regional director of IG Metall in Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony, for the Electrek portal.

For his part, Christian Baumler, one of the union's leaders, told Bloomberg that IG Metall is prepared for a prolonged battle with Tesla.

“It is not good for an automobile manufacturer to be in permanent conflict with IG Metall. The union has organizational power, it has money, it has experience . It can take a long fight, ” Baumler said.

See also: Russian inventor created his version of the Tesla 20 times cheaper with parts from the internet

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