---
title: "Tesla Giga Berlin dispute against IG Metall union leads to investigation"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/276055529.md"
description: "German authorities are investigating an IG Metall union representative for allegedly recording a confidential works council meeting at Tesla's Gigafactory Berlin. The investigation follows a complaint from Tesla management after employees reported the incident. Police seized a laptop belonging to the union member involved. IG Metall denies the allegations, claiming they are a tactic by Tesla ahead of upcoming works council elections. The investigation is ongoing, and it remains unclear if charges will be filed."
datetime: "2026-02-16T11:38:36.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/276055529.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276055529.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/276055529.md)
---

> Supported Languages: [简体中文](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/276055529.md) | [繁體中文](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/276055529.md)


# Tesla Giga Berlin dispute against IG Metall union leads to investigation

German authorities have opened an investigation into an IG Metall union representative following allegations that a confidential works council meeting at Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin was secretly recorded. The probe follows a criminal complaint filed by Tesla management last week.

As per a report from _rbb24_, police seized a laptop belonging to an IG Metall member at Tesla Giga Berlin on Tuesday afternoon. Prosecutors in Frankfurt (Oder) confirmed that an investigation is underway into a possible unauthorized audio recording of an internal works council meeting.

Under German law, recording a non-public meeting without consent may constitute a criminal offense.

Tesla stated that Gigafactory Berlin employees alerted management after allegedly discovering that an external union representative, who was attending the event as a guest, had recorded the session. Plant manager André Thierig stated in a post on X that the representative was “caught in action,” prompting the company to contact police and file a criminal complaint.

The seized device is now part of the investigation, and authorities will determine whether any unlawful recording had indeed occurred.

IG Metall has denied the accusation. In comments to German media, representatives rejected Tesla’s claim and described the electric vehicle maker’s allegation as an election campaign tactic ahead of upcoming works council elections.

The election at Tesla’s Grünheide plant is scheduled for March 2–4, 2026, with about 11,000 employees being eligible to vote. Regular works council elections in Germany are held every four years between March and May.

The incident comes amid tensions between Tesla and organized labor in Germany. While works councils operate independently from unions, IG Metall has been active at the plant and has previously criticized Tesla’s labor practices. Authorities, for their part, have not yet announced whether charges will be filed, though the investigation remains ongoing.

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The post Tesla Giga Berlin dispute against IG Metall union leads to investigation appeared first on TESLARATI.

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