Article in German, I’ve translated the relevant part:
According to a recent report, numerous employees received letters requesting them to disclose their diagnoses and release their respective doctors from their duty of confidentiality. […] According to [news outlet] “Handelsblatt”, the letters to employees are entitled “Doubts about the submitted certificates of inability to work”. Tesla is reportedly questioning the validity of the sick notes and refusing to continue to pay wages in the event of illness. In the letters, the company also threatens to reclaim payments already made.
The pressure on employees is apparently enormous. According to the report, anyone who wants to continue receiving their salary should disclose personal health data. The trade union IG Metall sharply criticizes the move.
original quote in German
Laut einem aktuellen Bericht erhielten zahlreiche Beschäftigte Schreiben mit der Aufforderung, ihre Diagnosen offenzulegen und ihre behandelnden Ärzt:innen von der Schweigepflicht zu entbinden. […]
Laut “Handelsblatt” tragen die Briefe an die Beschäftigten den Betreff “Zweifel an den eingereichten Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigungen”. Tesla stellt demnach die Gültigkeit der Krankschreibungen infrage und verweigert die Entgeltfortzahlung im Krankheitsfall. In den Schreiben droht das Unternehmen außerdem an, bereits geleistete Zahlungen zurückzufordern.
Der Druck auf die Mitarbeitenden ist offenbar enorm. Wer weiter sein Gehalt beziehen will, soll laut dem Bericht persönliche Gesundheitsdaten offenlegen. Die Gewerkschaft IG Metall kritisiert das Vorgehen scharf.
If you can’t operate in compliance with local law, you don’t get to operate at all. Welcome to the EU where laws still matter, Elon.
Musk had made crazy deals with the state gogernment including hundreds of millions in subsidies through tax breaks and violating environmental requirements, in particular in regards to water protection. In a region known for water stress and upstream of the water supply of Berlin, with about 3.5 million people depending on it.
Thing is, if Tesla fails, all these violations will have been for nothing and that generation of state politicians will be done for. They need Tesla to suceed. So they will likely try their best to double down on allowing Tesla to violate regulations until it all comes crashing down.
Even if that is the case, we still have laws and worker’s rights. These rules are pretty strict. If those workers have a doctor’s attest there is absolutely nothing Tesla can do about it (apart from intimidation attempts, and this is what they do) With the help of unions those workers will eventually be compensated, regardless of what any politicians might want.
Laws are useless.
I mean, of course they aren’t useless, but relying on the courts to uphold them when the citizens fail to clearly express that breaking these laws is totally unacceptable, then the courts too will fail to uphold them.
Proof: just look at the US.
Thankfully the EU has some strong unions and people who are willing to rise up for their rights, so maybe there’s still hope.
It’s not laws or institutions that uphold democracy. It’s the people, who must overwhelmingly reject any attacks.
That sounds like an even better reason to vote against them than the original bad decision already was. It’s always the coverup that gets them in the end, isn’t it?
The next state election in Brandenburg is in 2029, so they are fully in the we do not care period. It is also an EV plant very close to Berlin, so the perfect plant to buy up for some Chinese EV company trying to influence German politics… Not that the Chinese are well known for labour laws, but still.
Elon, this is not America. This is a civilized country, with a working legal system.
Should be an easy win for IG Metall, no? What German judge is going to look at this and go “Joa, sounds like valid concerns on Tesla’s side”?
Working at tesla must feel very secure right now.
That whole giga factory aged like milk.
Anyone who didn’t see this coming wasn’t paying attention.
No sympathy from me for anyone involved.
Except for the one who really just had no other option.
