The IG Metall union threatened more industrial action after almost 100,000 workers joined walkouts at Volkswagen’s German facilities on Monday in protest of management’s plans to reduce salaries and even liquidate locations at the largest automaker in Europe.
According to the union on Tuesday, 98,650 workers at nine plants throughout Germany participated in the industrial action, which included early walkouts on nighttime shifts and two-hour strikes by workers on morning shifts.
For the first time in its 87-year history, Volkswagen has threatened to close operations in Germany in an effort to cut expenses and increase profits. Chinese competitors, low demand, high production costs, and a slower-than-anticipated shift to electric vehicles are all posing challenges for European automakers.
Thorsten Groeger, the top negotiator for IG Metall, stated, “This was the first, powerful impact of a winter of protest. Volkswagen should come to its senses and finally shelve its nightmare plans, otherwise our colleagues will find the right answer.”
Last Monday, the union put up proposals that it claimed would save 1.5 billion euros ($1.58 billion), one of which was eliminating bonuses for 2025 and 2026. Management has rejected these as impractical and postponing the inevitable.
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