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It’s not exactly uncommon for employees of just about every company around the world to pilfer some office supplies. Who’s going to miss a pencil, or some printer paper here and there? But Tesla’s factory in Germany is grappling with a bit of a bigger issue — the theft of about 65,000 coffee mugs.
During a staff meeting Andre Thierig, the plant manager of Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg, confronted some of the facility’s 12,000 staffers. There, amid concerns over workers’ safety and pay, Thierig complained about the tens of thousands of coffee mugs that have gone missing, according to a recording obtained by Handelsblatt.
“We’ve bought 65,000 coffee mugs since we started production here,” Thierig said, according to DW. “Statistically speaking, each of you already has five Ikea coffee cups at home.”
Thierig added that he was frustrated with the apparent thefts, promising to take away cutlery from the break room if they continued. Employees welcomed the break from more serious matters, applauding and laughing at his remarks, DW reports.
But coffee cups are the least of Tesla’s issues there. The company has been protested by climate groups — including one, the Volcano Group, that attacked an electricity transmission tower — over its expansion plans, which include clearing forest space. Local elected officials later gave Tesla the thumbs up to proceed with its plans, although they have been somewhat delayed.
Tesla, as part of CEO Elon Musk’s cost-cutting plans in April, has laid off about 400 workers at the German plant, according to Reuters. The automaker has laid off at least 14,000 people across its global workforce.
The German plant has also been accused of violating environmental laws, health regulations, and laws protecting workers’ safety, since it began production two years ago. Stern reported last year that Tesla had reported three times more emergencies than Audi’s plant in Ingolstadt.
“Whilst the whole world thinks we are only busy with mugs, we actually care about the most important asset of our Gigafactory - our people. We listened to their feedback and finally finished our newest employee facility,” Thierig wrote on LinkedIn Thursday, referring to media reports on the subject. Tesla celebrated the “pre-opening” of its new “Giga Gym,” Thierig said.