Workers demonstrate at Tesla Fremont factory against mass firings

Leaders seeking to unionise Tesla workers demonstrated at Tesla's factory in Fremont, California, last afternoon protesting the mass firings at the company.

The group, which included a number of fired workers along with community leaders, delivered a letter to Tesla denouncing the firings. They accused the company of targeting employees who complained about working conditions at the factory and demanded he reinstatement of the employees.

"We see Tesla as an important company for our regional economy, employing thousands of workers in the extended Bay Area who are proud to be building a zero-emission electric car," the pro-union letter reads in part. "Given its importance, we expect Tesla to be a responsible employer that leads with fair treatment of its workers."

The letter cites a formal complaint the National Labor Relations Board filed against Tesla in August that alleged the company violated workers' rights by discouraging unionisation efforts.

A Tesla spokesperson responded to the demonstrations on Tuesday night in an email to Business Insider, saying in part: "At Tesla, we strive to be a fair and just company, the only kind worth being. No one at Tesla has ever or will ever have any action taken against them based on their feelings on unionisation."

"Some employees recently left Tesla, but what has not been reported is that a much larger number - 17 per cent of our employees - were promoted, and almost half of those promotions were within our factory in Fremont."

Tesla fired scores of workers earlier this month. According to the company the workers were fired, after a round of performance reviews. The firings came a time when Tesla missed its September production goals for the newly released Model 3, Tesla's first mass-market electric car. The company rolled out only 260 Model 3s in September, falling far behind its stated goal to produce 1,500 that month.

Tesla aims to ramp up production to 20,000 Model 3s per month by December, a goal that seemed unlikely as the company struggled with "production bottlenecks" related to the new entry level car.

Meanwhile, Tesla said in a statement, "At Tesla, we strive to be a fair and just company, the only kind worth being. No one at Tesla has ever or will ever have any action taken against them based on their feelings on unionisation. Some employees recently left Tesla, but what has not been reported is that a much larger number - 17 per cent of our employees - were promoted, and almost half of those promotions were within our factory in Fremont. We are a company where people can be promoted as quickly as their talents and work allow. It is not unexpected that union supporters would protest any decision we make, including this one, and we respect their right to do so."