Reuters reports Monday that Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) employees at the Brandenburg factory are increasingly becoming members of the IG Metall union due to growing apprehensions regarding health, safety, and excessive work demands.
Union representatives met with workers at various locations including the factory entrances, nearby train platforms, and within the factory itself on Monday. They distributed stickers that said "Together for safe and fair work at Tesla".
On Sunday evening, Tesla managers hosted a meeting for their teams with the promise of free food and a “Surprise”.
The purpose of the meeting was to address the presence of IG Metall at the site.
"We want to speak with you and your teams about the questionable methods and actual goals of IG Metall,” management wrote in an email seen by Reuters.
"The law gives all workers the right to organize in a union and stand openly for that at their workplace. That counts at Tesla in Brandenburg as well," said IG Metall representative, Dirk Schulze.
The union usually refrains from discussing membership numbers but noted that there has been a significant surge in enrollment of new members at Tesla.
A survey of workers at the plant showed mixed satisfaction with working conditions at the location, with a larger number viewing the conditions as stressful and unsafe. Some even mentioned trouble receiving overtime pay.
"Speed is not compatible with safety," said one worker from Poland.
He also expressed concern that the current workforce was insufficient to meet the set targets, and he mentioned that if conditions did not get better, he intended to look for a new job in the coming year.
Shares of TSLA are down 2.96% in mid-day trading on Monday.