Overview
- IG Metall secured 13 of 37 seats with 31.1% of the vote as the management-aligned Giga United list led with 40.4%.
- The result leaves Tesla’s Grünheide site as Germany’s only automotive factory without a collective bargaining agreement.
- Elon Musk sent a pre-recorded video warning expansion would not proceed if the union gained influence, reinforcing a broader anti-union campaign.
- Management’s pre-vote tactics included an employee concert, “Giga JA – Gewerkschaft NEIN” buttons, and a 4% pay increase timed outside the council process.
- Legal frictions continue after police seized a union representative’s laptop over an alleged secret recording, with IG Metall pursuing defamation claims and an investigation still open.