Germany's IG Metall preparing union-busting case against Tesla

The electric carmaker has had a tumultous relationship with the industrial trade union since opening a factory on the outskirts of Berlin on 2022

• IG Metall to sue Tesla for union busting allegations
• Union claims Tesla pressures staff to avoid IG Metall involvement
• Tesla's works council elections scheduled for March amid dispute

Did our AI summary help?

Germany's largest labour group IG Metall is preparing a case against Elon Musk's Tesla, it said Tuesday, accusing the carmaker of engaging in "union busting".

The complaint would be filed "as soon as possible", union spokesman Markus Sievers told AFP, adding that more details would be forthcoming once it was fully prepared.

"Tesla has long tried to keep IG Metall out of its operations," he said. "It is made clear to employees that if they get involved with IG Metall, it will not be conducive to their business."

The electric carmaker has had a tumultous relationship with the industrial trade union since opening a factory on the outskirts of Berlin on 2022.

In March 2025, the union accused Tesla of withholding sick employees' pay and of pressuring them to come to work.

Tesla factory manager Andre Thierig earlier this month publicly accused an IG Metall representative of secretly recording a works council meeting, prompting a police investigation.

Hitting back on Tuesday, IG Metall accused Thierig of defamation and said it had applied for an injunction to stop him repeating the accusations.

"Legal disputes are not our preferred form of dispute resolution," head of the regional IG Metall Berlin-Brandeburg-Saxony Jan Otto said in a statement.

"But when a company fights co-determination and trade union work so aggressively, we defend ourselves with all means at our disposal, including legal action," he added.

At the last works council elections two years ago, the majority of Tesla's German staff opted for non-unionised employees to represent them on the council. New elections are scheduled for March.

"We want the results of the investigation to be available before the works council elections in early March," Otto said. "Then employees can decide for themselves who is telling the truth and who is not."

AFP has contacted Tesla for comment.