Tesla disputes sick leave as German Grünheide factory issues arise
At the Tesla factory in Grünheide, a dispute over employee absenteeism has escalated. The American electric car manufacturer sends letters to employees on sick leave and withholding salary payments. Tesla claims that the scale of this issue is minimal.
Elon Musk's company is experiencing an exceptionally high level of absenteeism at its German factory in Grünheide. According to the German daily Handelsblatt, Tesla is withholding salary payments to sick employees and demanding that they disclose their diagnoses. It is also asking doctors to waive their duty of confidentiality.
Tesla questions sick leave
The report indicates that Tesla is sending letters to employees with the headline "Doubts Regarding Submitted Certificates of Incapacity for Work." In these documents, the company announces an immediate suspension of sick leave payments and threatens to demand reimbursement for amounts already paid.
The American electric car manufacturer is also pressuring its employees to reveal their diagnoses for "every confirmed sick leave." The company further demands that employees release their doctors from the obligation of confidentiality.
Previous reports by Handelsblatt indicated that Tesla's management in Germany had also taken other unusual steps. Company representatives reportedly made unannounced visits to employees' homes while they were on sick leave.
"Handelsblatt" notes that Tesla's actions against employees on sick leave raise questions about its compliance with German labour law, which traditionally provides strong protection for employees, especially in cases of health issues.
Tesla: The scale of the problem is minimal
The labour union IG Metall confirmed the accusations against Tesla concerning withholding salary payments for sick employees. According to the union's spokesperson, "not a single euro was often passed on" to individuals on sick leave.
Tesla refutes the allegations, explaining that the issue concerns only "about a dozen cases per month" out of its 11,000-person workforce. The company describes the union's actions as "populist scandal-mongering" and "a deliberate distortion of reality."
Tesla's problems
Problems at the Grünheide factory coincide with broader business challenges Tesla is facing. The company recently recorded a significant drop in new vehicle registrations in China, a key market.
At the same time, Elon Musk's company's stock market value has drastically fallen in recent weeks, losing hundreds of billions of dollars in capitalization. In the European market, Tesla is also experiencing difficulties, as despite an overall increase in electric car registrations, the sales of this brand have declined.
The German factory in Grünheide, opened in 2022, is Tesla's first European production facility and plays a key role in the company's strategy in Europe.
