India, March 16 -- Electric carmaker Tesla, already under a slew of attacks, is now facing backlash over accusations of withholding pay of ill workers at its German factory.

According to a report in the local news website Handelsblatt, the sickness rate at Elon Musk's German plant is "unusually high." As a result, the electric carmaker is reportedly sending letters to employees who have called in sick with the subject line: "Doubts about the submitted certificates of incapacity to work."

The letters inform employees that their payment of wages will be stopped immediately and even threatens repayment of salaries already paid. Tesla also urges its employees to disclose their diagnosis for "every certified incapacity for work" and to relea...