Elon Musk’s ‘ultimatum’ is opposed in Germany

Tesla CEO is receiving mixed reactions when he made the decision to force employees at the electric car factory to back to the office working at least 40 hours a week, or “bundling” away from the company.

IG Metall, in the Berlin-Brandenburg-Sachsen district, where Tesla’s factory is located, said it would support any employee who opposes Musk’s “ultimatum”. In Germany, where about 4,000 employees work for Tesla, the company plans to expand its workforce to 12,000 people.

“Anyone who disagrees with those demands or wants to oppose them will be supported by unions in Germany,” said Birgit Dietze, a leader at IG Metall in Berlin-Brandenburg-Sachsen.

The employees at the factory of Tesla in Gruenheide, Germany, elected 19 people to its workers’ council for the first time in February. This is also what sets the German factory apart from those in other countries.

There is currently no law in Germany that stipulates the right to work from home, but the labor ministry is working on policies to increase flexibility for workers. Many major employers, including automakers, have adopted a hybrid working model in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing companies to let employees work from home.

Gunnar Kilian, a member of the Volkswagen board of directors, said: “We have a different view of creating a working environment, we support the individual right of each member to balance both forms of work from remote or direct”.

Luxury car manufacturers such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz shared the same opinion when asked about Musk’s “ultimatum”. A Mercedes-Benz spokesperson said: “Combined work is the working model of the future that fits every form.”

Musk, who helped transform the traditional car industry into a new future with electric cars, makes him the richest person in the world right now. He had frank words for companies that don’t require employees to return to the office full-time.

“Of course there are companies that don’t ask for this, but when was the last time they shipped a great new product? It’s been a long time,” Musk wrote in the email.

Thai Hoang (according to Reuster)