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Tesla Cuts Sick Leave at German Plant as Pay-Stop Letters Face Legal Scrutiny

The push raises legal questions under Germany's sick-pay rules.

Overview

  • Tesla’s Grünheide factory now reports a sick-leave rate under 5%, down from about 17% in August 2024, in remarks reported Monday by Handelsblatt.
  • Management credits new incentives such as an employee stock plan, an on-site gym and barbershop, and €25-per-day Tesla rentals, and says workplace culture has improved.
  • Parallel letters to sick workers tell them wage continuation will stop if an absence appears to be a continuation of a prior illness.
  • The notices ask employees to detail their symptoms, release treating doctors from confidentiality, and question statements from health insurers about prior conditions.
  • Labor-law experts warn the demands may overreach because doctors are not required to disclose more than what appears on a sick note.