Skip to main content
The Morning Star Shop
Musk on a collision course with Europe’s unions
Tesla and its maverick owner may have got away with anti-worker and anti-union practices in the US, but their new factory in Germany will be a different story, writes TONY BURKE
SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrives in Berlin, Germany

WHEN Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of electric auto maker Tesla, landed his private jet in Berlin in November (unannounced, in the middle of Germany’s national lockdown) he tweeted he was there to recruit engineers.

“Recruiting ace engineers for Giga Berlin! Will interview in person tomorrow on site,” he wrote. Within minutes thousands of engineers replied seeking an interview.

Tesla, a hi-tech manufacturer, may attract many young and aspiring engineers and technical staff to their employment. But Musk is no fan of trade unions. Tesla workers in the USA have filed complaints about low pay and poor working conditions. Musk himself has opposed workers’ attempts to unionise.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
GR
Global Routes / 25 June 2025
25 June 2025

This is a remarkable set of hop hip, salsa, reggae, soul, cumbia and traditional Mexican music finds TONY BURKE

GR
Album reviews / 23 June 2025
23 June 2025

New releases from Madalitso Band, Gabriel da Rosa, and Femi Kuti

TB
Music / 12 May 2025
12 May 2025

A New Awakening: Adventures In British Jazz 1966 - 1971, G3, and Buck Owens 

Platform working
Features / 5 May 2025
5 May 2025

TONY BURKE says an International Labour Conference next month will try for a new convention to protect often super-exploited workers providing services such as ride-hailing (taxis) such as Uber as well as fast food and package delivery

Similar stories

Protesters rally against Tesla CEO Elon Musk outside a Tesl
World / 30 March 2025
30 March 2025
Volkswagen employees demonstrate in front of the Volkswagen
Features / 30 November 2024
30 November 2024
TONY BURKE reports on growing industrial unrest as Volkswagen plans its first German plant closures in 90 years amid its struggles to gain a place in the growing EV market, putting it on a collision course with IG Metall
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, speaks during the Global Citizen Aw
Features / 5 October 2024
5 October 2024
From the ports to the postal service, Swedish unions are outmanoeuvring Tesla in solidarity with striking mechanics — speaking to Tony Burke, IF Metall’s MARIE NEILSON explains that collective bargaining remains non-negotiable in Sweden