Employees at US electric car manufacturer Tesla's factory outside of Berlin on Monday began electing a works council for the second time as Germany's largest union demands better working conditions.
A total of 234 candidates are running in the election at Tesla's only European car plant, including the council's current chairwoman, Michaela Schmitz. The IG Metall union said it has 106 candidates on the ballot.
The union is demanding better working conditions and a commitment to a collective labour agreement, which Tesla rejects.
IG Metall sees great interest in the election. "The works council election at Tesla has got off to a good start. Colleagues are very interested in taking part and using the opportunity to elect a committed works council," said Dirk Schulze, union district manager for the Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony region.
"Colleagues are telling us about queues outside the polling stations in the company." He welcomed the fact that the break at the start of the works council election had been extended from 30 to 90 minutes.
The first works council election at the Tesla plant took place in 2022 before it began operations. Since then, the number of employees has increased significantly to around 12,500, according to the company.
Tesla wants to expand production on the existing site and double the its planned output of 500,000 cars per year to 1 million.
Activists have set up camp in the nearby woods, which are state property, to protest Tesla's plans to expand the plant and clear the forest.
In a non-binding resolution, a majority of residents in Grünheide, the Berlin suburb where the plant is located, voted against its development.
IG Metall has said it supports the planned factory expansion but called for dialogue in the face of citizens' concerns.
