The only Tesla factory in Europe is in Grünheide near Berlin.Image: www.imago-images.de
Serious allegations and mutual criminal charges: In Grünheide near Berlin, Tesla and the IG Metall union are conducting a legal dispute. At the center of the dispute is the plant manager.
Feb 20, 2026, 9:14 p.mFeb 20, 2026, 9:14 p.m
Markus Abrahamczyk / t-online
The Dispute between Tesla and IG Metall The Frankfurt an der Oder public prosecutor’s office is now also concerned. The authority initiated investigations against both sides. The trigger was a works council meeting that ended with a massive accusation.
Plant manager under suspicion
Tesla factory manager André Thierig, a close confidant of Elon Musk, is being investigated for defamation. IG Metall filed a complaint and wants to prohibit the plant manager from making sensitive statements (see below). The union speaks of a smear campaign shortly before the works council elections.
Elon Musk and plant manager André Thierig. Image: keystone
The espionage accusation
Tesla had previously contacted the judiciary itself. The company accuses a trade unionist of secretly recording a meeting on February 10th using a laptop. The public prosecutor’s office is now examining two allegations:
- Violation of the confidentiality of the word
- Violation of the Works Constitution Act
According to Thierig, there are dozens of witnesses to the incident. The IG Metall representative explained to these witnesses that he had forgotten to turn off his microphone. The union rejects this: the laptop was only used to create written minutes. The representative offered the investigating authorities to make his laptop available for an investigation. “In this way, the investigators can quickly see that, contrary to Tesla’s claims, he did not record the works council meeting,” said IG Metall.
Showdown in court
The dispute now ends up before the Frankfurt (Oder) labor court. As a court spokeswoman announced, the proceedings have already been initiated. The hearing will take place on February 26th. IG Metall wants to have Tesla factory manager Thierig banned from spreading his claims further by means of an interim injunction.
Background: Fight for working conditions
At Tesla there is currently a fight for the majority in the works council, which actually represents the interests of the employees. However, currently only around 40 percent of the works council are IG Metall representatives.
The union hopes for a majority after the next elections and would like to enforce a collective employment agreement in the future. This regulates the minimum working conditions such as wages, working hours, holidays and protection against dismissal. CEO Elon Musk strictly rejects this.
Tesla had to cut jobs
The factory in Grünheide with around 11,000 employees is the only European Tesla factory. But Tesla is fighting in Europe massively falling sales figures. The plant in Germany is therefore according to one Report from Spiegel Online Far from being fully utilized, a previously announced expansion is currently no longer an issue. End of January German media made it publicthat Tesla recently cut around 1,700 jobs in Germany. Internal documents showed job cuts of almost 14 percent.
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