Tesla Giga Berlin worker absences have caught Elon Musk’s attention.
Local German news recently reported that Tesla managers at Giga Berlin have started visiting employees’ homes while they are on sick leave. Giga Berlin’s Manufacturing Director André Thierig responded to comments about the home visits, explaining that they were common practice in the industry. He added that Tesla was trying to “appeal to the employees’ work ethic.”
Thierig stated that some Giga Berlin workers have taken advantage of German labor protection laws. The Giga Berlin Director added that Tesla has identified 200 staff members who have not shown up for work all year but are still being paid. He noted that the average rate of absences due to illness is 2%.
“In our analyses of attendance at work, some phenomena have become obvious: on Fridays and late shifts, about 5% more employees take sick leave than on other weekdays.
“That is not an indicator of bad working conditions because the working conditions are the same on all working days and across all shifts. It suggests that the German social system is being exploited to some extent,” Thierig said.
The company’s actions have sparked the ire of IG Metall, a trade union representing many of Giga Berlin’s workers. The trade union claimed that Giga Berlin’s sick leaves usually hit 15% or higher. It believes the absences reach 15% and up at Giga Berlin because Tesla operates with a “culture of fear.”
“Employees from almost all areas of the factory have reported an extremely high workload. When there are staff shortages, the ill workers are put under pressure, and those who remain healthy are overburdened with additional work.
“If the factory’s overseers really want to reduce the level of sickness, they should break this vicious circle,” said Dirk Schulze, a regional director for IG Metall.
Elon Musk recently learned about the absences at Giga Berlin, stating he would look into the matter. It would be interesting to see Musk’s response after he dives deeper into the matter.
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