Tesla has announced that it will be making 500 temporary workers at Giga Berlin permanent employees starting November 1, 2024. This decision comes as part of the company’s confidence in the continued growth of electric vehicle (EV) production in Europe, marking a significant step forward for both Tesla and the employees affected.
The Giga Berlin works council, led by Michaela Schmitz, has been advocating for the reduction of temporary positions in favour of permanent roles, enhancing job security for many employees. However, Tesla, which has a well-known stance against unionization, made sure to clarify that the move to permanently hire these 500 employees was based on business strategy rather than external pressures from union IG Metall.
“At a time when many companies are talking about job cuts and plant closures, the news that a further 500 people will be offered a long-term perspective at Tesla in a permanent position is particularly pleasing,” Tesla said in a statement to Reuters.
Giga Berlin currently produces the Model Y for European markets and is on track with a production rate of 5,000 vehicles per week. The factory currently employs approximately 12,000 workers, and recently celebrated building the 400,000th Model Y.
Tesla is currently working to expand the factory to produce up to 1 million cars per year, and there is speculation that expanded production may also include the Semi to meet European demand in the future.
