BERLIN (Reuters) – Volkswagen workers will go on warning strike on Monday at factories across Germany, union IG Metall said, marking the first large-scale strikes at Volkswagen’s domestic operations since 2018.
The start of the strikes represents a new escalation in the dispute between Europe’s top car manufacturer and its workers over mass layoffs, pay cuts and possible factory closures – drastic measures that the company says it cannot rule out in the face of Chinese competition and retrenchment. consumer demand.
On November 22, the company’s labor representatives voted in favor of limited strikes at German operations from early December, after negotiations over wages and factory closures failed to advance.
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“If necessary, this will be the toughest collective bargaining battle Volkswagen has ever seen,” union negotiator Thorsten Groeger said in a statement.
The automaker said it continues to count on constructive dialogue to find a sustainable solution.
“Volkswagen respects the right of employees to participate in a warning strike,” a spokesperson said in response to the union’s announcement, adding that the company took early action to ensure a basic level of supply to customers and minimize the impact of the crisis.
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Warning strikes in Germany usually last a few hours.
Last week, the union proposed measures it said would save 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion), including waiving bonuses for 2025 and 2026, which Europe’s biggest carmaker rejected.
Volkswagen has demanded a 10% pay cut, arguing it needs to cut costs and increase profits to defend market share against cheap competition from China and falling demand for cars in Europe.
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The company threatens to close factories in Germany for the first time in its 87-year history.
“Volkswagen set fire to our collective agreements and, instead of putting out this fire in three negotiation sessions, the management board is throwing open barrels of gasoline,” said Groeger, negotiator for the IG Metall union.
A no-strike agreement ended on Saturday, IG Metall said, allowing workers to stage warning strikes from Sunday at VW AG’s German plants.
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“Alert strikes will begin in all factories from Monday. How long and how intense this confrontation needs to be is Volkswagen’s responsibility at the negotiating table,” Groeger said.
Labor representatives and management will meet again on December 9 to continue negotiations on a new labor agreement for workers at the German company – VW AG – with unions promising to resist any proposals that do not provide a long-term plan for each of the factories.
