Elon Musk has sent a pre-recorded video message to Tesla's 10,700 workers at Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg in Grunheide, Germany, warning that the planned expansion of the plant will not happen if IG Metall gains influence in the upcoming works council election. The threat comes days before the critical vote and amid an escalating conflict between Tesla management and Germany's most powerful industrial union. Musk stopped short of naming IG Metall directly but left no ambiguity about his target, stating that 'things will certainly get more difficult if there are external organizations pushing Tesla in the wrong direction.' This message is not a new one, as plant manager Andre Thierig has been delivering similar warnings to workers at the factory in recent months.
Musk's warning is part of an ongoing battle between Tesla and IG Metall, which has accused the company of fostering a 'toxic' working environment. The union filed a defamation complaint against Thierig with the public prosecutor's office, while Tesla responded by filing its own criminal complaint alleging an IG Metall representative secretly recorded a works council meeting. The tension between the two parties has been building for months and recently turned into an all-out fight.
["The timing of Musk's warning is deliberate, as around 10,700 employees at Grunheide will elect a new works council in the coming days. IG Metall is currently the largest faction on the works council but does not hold a majority, as other lists have joined forces against it. The union's Tesla works council group described the secret recording allegation as 'a brazen and calculated lie.' Meanwhile, Tesla has been trying to rally support against IG Metall representation by hosting an anti-union concert for Giga Berlin employees in December.", ["Despite Musk's warning, the actual state of Giga Berlin is concerning. Tesla has quietly cut roughly 1,700 jobs at the plant over the past year, all while Thierig denied any staff reductions were taking place. The factory is capable of producing over 375,000 Model Ys per year, but sales have been in freefall, with Tesla selling only about 235,000 vehicles total in Europe in 2025, a 28% decline. In Germany specifically, registrations collapsed 48% to just 19,390 units in 2025.", ["The decline has continued into 2026, with Tesla's EU registrations dropping another 17% in January even as the broader European BEV market grew 14%. Meanwhile, BYD surged over 1,000% in Germany in January 2026 and nearly doubled its European sales to over 8,700 units — overtaking Tesla in the process. A recent survey found that 94% of Germans would not consider buying a Tesla.", ["During the video address, Musk attempted to paint a rosier picture by discussing future products for Grunheide. He claimed Tesla has 'just started' ramping up battery cell production at the site and signaled plans to ramp up Model Y production at the plant, particularly once regulators grant approval for expanded supervised 'Full Self-Driving' functions in Europe.", ["However, Musk's promises ring hollow when considering the actual state of Giga Berlin. The factory already has vastly more capacity than the European market is demanding, and that gap is growing every month. By threatening to withhold expansion unless workers reject IG Metall, Musk is essentially saying: vote the way I want, or I'll punish you.", ["IG Metall representative Otto put it well: 'As long as sales numbers are going down, Tesla won't build any factory, not here and not anywhere else.' The future product promises are classic Musk misdirection. Battery cell production that was supposedly years away is now suddenly 'ramping'? Cybercab production at Grunheide? These are the same vague promises Tesla uses to distract from present-day problems.", ["Ultimately, the fate of Giga Berlin's expansion hangs in the balance, and it remains to be seen whether Tesla can justify maintaining the factory at its current scale as European demand continues to crater. The outcome of the upcoming works council election will likely determine the future of the plant."]]]]]]]
