Tesla Grünheide: Giga United list prevails in works council election

For Germany’s largest metalworkers’ union, IG Metall, the closely watched works council election at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Grünheide did not go as hoped. In the previous election in 2024, the union secured around 40 per cent of the vote, making it the largest single faction on the works council. However, it failed to gain a majority, as other lists joined forces to form a majority bloc.

In this year’s election, the IG Metall-aligned list Tesla Workers GFFB received around 31 per cent of the vote, making it the second-strongest force on the future works council. The winner is the union-independent list Giga United, which includes current works council chair Michaela Schmitz. The list secured roughly 41 per cent of the vote and will therefore form the largest faction.

Although Giga United does not hold an outright majority, the preliminary results indicate that 24 of the 37 seats on the works council will go to non-union lists. This means the majority of seats will remain with works council members without union affiliation.

The 2026 works council election at Tesla’s Grünheide plant was preceded by a series of disputes and was widely framed as a decision on the future direction of the factory. Tensions escalated after an incident during a meeting of the existing works council, when an external representative of IG Metall was allegedly recording audio on his laptop. Tesla plant manager André Thierig and the regional IG Metall organisation Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony subsequently exchanged public accusations and even threatened legal action.

The debate intensified further when Tesla CEO Elon Musk suggested that the future expansion of the German plant could depend on the outcome of the election. In a video interview with Thierig, Musk spoke of ‘external organisations pushing Tesla in the wrong direction’ – a remark widely interpreted as referring to IG Metall.

Nearly 90 per cent voter turnout

The trade union, which has been campaigning for a collective agreement in Grünheide (a demand rejected by Tesla’s management under Thierig), praised the result of Tesla Workers GFFB as the second-strongest force, “despite all the management’s attacks and an exceptionally unfair election campaign,” as Jan Otto, IG Metall’s district leader for Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony, put it.

Shortly after the preliminary results were announced, plant manager Thierig also commented on LinkedIn. According to Thierig, voter turnout was nearly 90 per cent—’significantly higher than four years ago. This is also a sign of the workforce’s strong interest in an election outcome that serves their interests,’ said the Tesla manager, who also thanked all employees who voted.

However, Thierig did not limit himself to presenting the results; he also offered his own interpretation. “IG Metall has clearly missed its targeted victory in the works council election at Tesla in Grünheide. After securing nearly 40 per cent of the vote in 2024, the union managed just 31 per cent this time,” Thierig said. “In my view, that is far from a ‘respectable result’ – it is a clear defeat.” He added that he sees the outcome as “a clear signal from our workforce, who have opted for union-independent co-determination for the next two years.”

Following the election, the works council must now reconstitute itself in its new composition. Current chair Michaela Schmitz is expected to be re-elected for a third consecutive term. According to reports by Handelsblatt, the Giga United list is set to receive 16 seats, while IG Metall will hold 13. The third-strongest faction, the ‘Polish Initiative,’ secured around 8.3 per cent of the vote and is likely to obtain three seats. The remaining five seats will be distributed among four other lists.

spiegel.de, handelsblatt.com, linkedin.com (all in German)