Tesla under fire for allegedly withholding salaries of sick workers
What's the story
Tesla is under fire for allegedly withholding salaries of sick employees at its German factory.
The sickness rate at Elon Musk's German plant is "unusually high," local news outlet Handelsblatt reported.
Consequently, the electric vehicle (EV) giant has reportedly started sending letters to employees who called in sick.
The letters are titled: "Doubts about the submitted certificates of incapacity to work."
Salary suspension
Employees warned about immediate salary suspension
Reportedly, the letters sent to employees warn them about an immediate suspension of their wages. They also threaten repayment of already disbursed salaries.
According to the report, Tesla is asking its workers to disclose their diagnosis for "every certified incapacity for work" and release their treating doctors from confidentiality obligations.
This has drawn criticism from a major German union, which accused Tesla's factory near Berlin of various wrongful practices against workers taking sick leaves.
Union allegations
Union accuses Tesla of wrongful practices
The union's statement claims that Tesla would cite "debts" due to alleged "overpayment," and at times, even encourage employees to sign mutual termination agreements.
It also alleged that salaries were often withheld by Musk's company.
The accusations come at a difficult time for Tesla in Germany, where it has been losing market share in the car sector since January.
Social media response
Backlash on social media and political controversy
The news of Tesla withholding salaries at its Berlin-Brandenburg Gigafactory has attracted severe criticism on social media.
One Reddit user wrote, "Nothing funnier than Americans trying to operate in countries with laws and rights for workers."
Another said, "They need to do research on what happened to Walmart after they tried to avoid German labor laws."
Notably, four Tesla cars caught fire in Berlin recently, with police investigating a possible "political motive."