The boss of a Tesla factory has defended the decision to send managers to the homes of workers on long-term sick leave.

In recent weeks, a director of Tesla’s electric car plant in Germany sent managers to check up on about two dozen employees who have continued to be paid while being on sick leave over the past nine months.

André Thierig, the plant’s manufacturing director, said the home visits were common practice in the industry and that the company simply wanted to “appeal to the employees’ work ethic”.

The move by Elon Musk’s US-headquartered carmaker has sparked outrage at the trade union IG Metall, which represents a proportion of the 12,000 workers at the Berlin-Brandenburg gigafactory.

  • @Death_Equity
    link
    English
    333 months ago

    6 weeks are the employer’s responsibility, after that the Krankenkasse takes over for 70% of wages for 72 weeks across 3 years.

    Maybe Tesla has some sort of perk of extended/unlimited sick leave?

    • @jacksilver
      link
      English
      133 months ago

      Thanks for the answer. Sounds like they’re still well within the 72 weeks if I understand that correctly?

      As for everyone down voting me, I’m not sure what the issue is. I didn’t say people shouldn’t get sick leave, but that society should be responsible rather than an individual corporation (that also doesn’t mean corporations shouldn’t pay into social services).

      A reason for that is that if enough people are on payroll and not working it could end a business. The end result would be business attempting to avoid hiring anyone who could end up on long term sick leave.

      • @Death_Equity
        link
        English
        123 months ago

        They are within the 3 years, at 9 months, so they would be getting 24 weeks of pay per year at 70% of wages.

        The Krankenkasse is a public health insurance fund that is funded by employee and employer matched contributions.

      • @cmhe
        link
        English
        83 months ago

        I think you misunderstood, after 6 weeks Telsa doesn’t need to pay anything, the state ensurance pays them 70% of their wage.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          63 months ago

          Clarifying:

          The government pays them a reduced salary: 70% of their wage. Tesla does not pay the other 30 during that time