Reuters
- Tesla hired the head of Mercedes-Benz’s Berlin engine plant, German media reported Wednesday.
- IG Metall, a union that represents German autoworkers, was outraged by the news and called for members to protest outside the Mercedes factory, according to the reports.
- The Mercedes plant is bracing for layoffs, as Tesla makes progress on its Gigafactory Berlin.
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Tesla has poached the chief of Mercedes-Benz’s Berlin engine plant, angering members of Germany’s largest trade union, according to local media reports.
The electric-vehicle manufacturer hired René Reif, who abruptly left his post as the head of Daimler’s Marienfeld factory, German outlet BZ reported Wednesday. The move caused a stir within IG Metall, Germany’s metalworkers’ union that represents the country’s autoworkers, according to the report.
The union labeled the move a betrayal and called on workers to protest outside the Mercedes factory Thursday, according to the German publication. It also demanded that Daimler put forth a plan that guarantees the plant won’t shut down in the future, Reuters reported.
Workers found out in September that Daimler plans to slash a large portion of the Berlin plant’s 2,500 jobs, local outlet Berliner Morgenpost reported. The cuts come as part of a larger shift at Daimler toward EV manufacturing, as the company prepares to shift some of its plants away from combustion-engine manufacturing.
Already outraged that Mercedes’ Berlin plant is preparing for layoffs while Tesla is building a massive plant nearby, union leaders see Reif’s departure as adding insult to injury, according to the reports.
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Reif defected as the electric-vehicle manufacturer continues to make progress on its Gigafactory Berlin plant in Grünheide, roughly 25 miles from the Mercedes-Benz engine factory. Last month, the head of Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin project left his position, according to Reuters, so it’s possible that Tesla tapped Reif to oversee that factory moving forward.
Tesla is also building a new plant in Austin, Texas and expanding its manufacturing capability in China.
Daimler and Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment.