German union pissed off at Tesla over bonuses, health bars, and Giga Berlin socks

Max Headroom 2025.09.20 2 min read

Tesla Giga Berlin is running at full capacity, but labor relations remain strained, and for the strangest reasons possible.

A report from German outlet Handelsblatt has noted that the IG Metall union has recently been taking issue with the company’s bonus system, gifts for employees, and even health bars that were distributed to Giga Berlin workers.

Bonuses and symbolic disputes

IG Metall has long clashed with Tesla management over workplace policies, including disputes about home visits to employees on sick leave. The latest disagreements were focused on bonuses, with IG Metall reportedly arguing that Tesla must give bonuses to all employees, not just those with perfect attendance. The union also argued that red Tesla socks with the “Giga” logo, which were distributed to all employees last year, were inadequate, as noted in a CarUp report.

Even muesli bars have become a flashpoint for IG Metall after Tesla distributed them to staff when the factory reopened. Since the health bars were wrapped in blue packaging, the gesture was criticized by IG Metall, which is known as the red group in the works council. Union leaders reportedly saw the snack’s distribution as an insult, given the alignment of the “blue group” with management.

Production momentum

Despite these tensions, factory manager André Thierig has emphasized that operations remain strong. He told news agency DPA that “very good sales figures” have led Tesla to revise production plans upward for the third and fourth quarters. Giga Berlin, which employs around 11,000 people, continues to ramp its output of the Model Y and remains Tesla’s primary hub for European deliveries.

The recent complaints from IG Metall highlights the challenges that Tesla has been facing in balancing its rapid production growth with workplace relations in Germany, a country where labor unions wield significant influence. For now, production lines continue to run at full speed, though chances seem high that the IG Metall’s union’s complaints about Giga Berlin may continue to persist.

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