Tesla sacks union activist

Tesla, the US electric vehicle maker, has dismissed a member of the works council at its giant gigafactory at Grünheider near Berlin. The sacked individual is a member of Germany’s largest union, IG Metall, and was part of the 16-strong IG Metall group on the works council.

Works council members have protection against dismissal, and they can generally only lose their jobs if this is backed by a majority of the works council.

This occurred in this case, when a majority of the 23 non-IG Metall members, who are seen as being close to management, agreed to the sacking.

IG Metall, which is contesting the dismissal in the courts, describes the company’s actions as the “latest high point” in “Tesla’s aggressive response to the push for better working conditions”.

Tesla, whose CEO Elon Musk is opposed to unions, has rejected IG Metall’s accusations.