Tesla is looking for a hundred new workers in Grünheide – IG Metall warns!

Tesla is looking for a hundred new workers in Grünheide – IG Metall warns!

Tesla is intensifying its recruitment in Germany despite a significant decline in sales and financial results. Loud World 317 new positions were advertised in April 2023 alone, 119 of which can be found in the factory in Grünheide near Berlin. This marks a remarkable comeback after the drastic reduction in hiring, which amounted to just 28 positions between May and August 2022.

Despite this positive development, a picture of uncertainty emerges. Tesla introduced austerity measures with a hiring freeze and layoffs in the USA last year. Even if the search for new employees starts again, the question remains how this can be reconciled with the targeted increase in production to 7,500 vehicles per week while the number of employees has been reduced.

Warnings from IG Metall

The IG Metall union warns against overloading employees and is campaigning for improved working conditions. It calls for additional workers to increase safety in production and to reduce the pressure on existing employees. Currently, over a third of employees are on sick leave, which is making the situation even worse. Reports of industrial accidents and safety deficiencies have also raised concerns, such as the market reported.

Over 1,000 employees of the Grünheider Gigafactory have already committed themselves to the IG Metall union, and many proudly wear stickers with the slogan “Together for safe and fair work at Tesla”. İG Metall also plans to initiate the election of a works council in order to better represent the interests of employees.

Financial challenges

The financial conditions illustrate the challenges Tesla is currently facing. Net income in the first quarter of 2023 was just $409 million, down over 70% year-over-year. The reasons given for this include Elon Musk's involvement in the Trump administration and the switch to the new Model Y.

These factors have increased the pressure on the company even though 1,430 positions were already advertised in Germany in the first four months of 2023 - a number that accounts for more than half of the total job offers from the previous year. Tesla is continuing its ambitions to increase weekly vehicle production, with long-term goals of up to 20,000 vehicles per week.

Although signs point to expansion, Tesla faces the challenge of improving working conditions and employee safety in order to ensure sustainably successful production.