Nearly 100,000 workers joined strikes at Volkswagen’s German factories on Monday in protest against management’s plans to cut wages and close plants at Europe’s biggest automaker, union IG Metall said, threatening further action.
a total of 98,650 employees at nine factories across Germany took part in the protest, the union said on Tuesday.
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Volkswagen threatens to close factories in Germany for the first time in its 87-year history to reduce costs and increase profits. European automakers face weak demand, high production costs, competition from Chinese rivals and a slower-than-expected transition to electric vehicles.
“This was the first powerful impact of a winter of protests. Volkswagen must come to its senses and drop its plans, otherwise our peers will find the right answer,” said IG Metall chief negotiator Thorsten Groeger.
Last week, the union proposed measures that it said would save the company 1.5 billion euros, including waiving bonus payments to executives in 2025 and 2026. Management dismissed these measures as unrealistic and a postponement of the inevitable.
