IG Metall, a German union, is criticizing Tesla for practices at its Brandenburg plant. According to Reuters, workers at the facility are claiming that required working hours are unreasonable and they are too afraid to speak out.
IG Metall held a press conference to address the situation. During the conference, Irene Schulz said, "Tesla is not doing enough to improve working conditions and is leaving too little time for leisure, family and recovery."
The situation was not helped when Tesla posted a new position to their job board. According to Tesla’s own site, the Security Intelligence Investigator will be responsible for the “collection of on-the-ground information both within and beyond the Tesla walls in priority locations in order to protect the company from threats” in an effort to protect “Tesla’s intellectual property, trade secrets and confidential information. This role will conduct both proactive and reactive investigations and actively address internal and external threats to Tesla’s proprietary and confidential information.”
Several political figures spoke to Handelsblatt, a German publication, on the issue. Cansel Kiziltepe, head of the SPD employee wing, told Handelsblatt that Tesla is the only car manufacturer in Germany without a collective agreement. "We can now see what this leads to: overload, insecurity and spying on by the executive floor."
Andreas Audretsch, vice-chairman of the Greens parliamentary, added, "Elon Musk should work through the alleged abuses in a transparent manner and correct them where necessary."