Economic policy – Secretary of State Kellner regrets job cuts at Tesla – Auto & Mobil

Grünheide (dpa/bb) – During a visit to the American Tesla car factory in Grünheide near Berlin, the Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economy, Michael Kellner (Greens), regretted the announced job cuts. About a week and a half after Tesla boss Elon Musk’s plans became known, Kellner met with factory management and the works council on Thursday.

Kellner said he regrets the job cuts being announced, “because finding and retaining skilled workers in the region is critical.” Employees were notified of the planned layoffs Wednesday, a spokeswoman said. The company announced that it will cut 400 jobs, but wants to prevent layoffs. The electric car maker had previously cut 300 part-time workers.

Kellner said it was surprising how the car rolled off the assembly line at the electric car factory. “With 12,500 jobs, Tesla is a strong economic leader for the region, Brandenburg and East Germany as a whole.” “I want Germany to be a pioneer in modern, clean mobility.”

Tesla boss Elon Musk wants to cut more than one in ten positions in the company and thus more than 14,000 jobs due to the decline in the market for electric cars and weak sales worldwide. Tesla posted its first sales decline in nearly four years last quarter. Revenue fell nine percent year-on-year to $21.3 billion (19.9 billion euros), the company announced Tuesday.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:240425-99-809614/2