Elon Musk's Instruction For Tesla Employees To Work From Office Is Protested By Worker Union In Germany

Gigaberlin Tesla car factory in Germany. (photo; twitter @tesla)

JAKARTA - Elon Musk's request for Tesla employees to stop "calling" and return to work and work, received brief attention from Germany's largest union on Thursday, June 2. The Tesla chief executive stirred up the debate by telling staff at the electric car factory that employees should be working at least 40 hours a week or resign.

The IG Metall union in Berlin-Brandenburg-Sachsen, where the Tesla factory is located, said it would support any employee who defies Musk's ultimatum. Tesla employs about 4,000 people in Germany and plans to expand the workforce to 12,000.

"Anyone who doesn't agree with such a unilateral claim and wants to fight it has the support of the trade unions behind them in Germany, as per the law," said Birgit Dietze, district leader for IG Metall in Berlin-Brandenburg-Sachsen.

Employees at Tesla's factory in Gruenheide, Germany, voted for 19 people for its first worker council in February. This distinguishes the plant from other factories run by Tesla that do not have union representation, which Musk has vehemently opposed.

Some of these workers are part of IG Metall which represents workers in all automotive companies and other industrial sectors.

In Germany there is currently no law governing the right to work from home but the labor ministry is making policies that will increase flexibility for workers. Many big employers, including automakers, have embraced a hybrid work model after the COVID-19 pandemic forced companies to adopt work from home policies.

“We have a fundamentally different view on creating an engaging work environment, and support empowerment and personal responsibility within our teams to balance the ratio of mobile (WFH) and face-to-face work,” said Gunnar Kilian, Volkswagen board member responsible for the division. human Resources.

Luxury carmakers BMW and Mercedes-Benz also echoed that view when asked about Musk's ultimatum.

"Hybrid work is the work model of the future ... different forms are possible, from complete attendance (in the office) to remote work," said a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson.

Musk, who has helped shift the traditional car sector to an all-electric future, who has made himself the world's richest person in the process, has been outspoken about companies not requiring their staff to return to full-time work.

"Of course there are companies that don't need this, but when was the last time they shipped a great new product? It's been a while," Musk wrote in an email.