Agencies
Volkswagen employees warned on Monday that management has one final opportunity to reach a compromise or face unprecedented strikes next year, as negotiations commence in a tense dispute over wage reductions and plant shutdowns.
VW staff downed tools at nine German sites, while thousands marched with flags and whistles to a square in Wolfsburg, where the carmaker is headquartered, to listen to union leaders.
The latest negotiations, which initially kicked off in September, come as Europe’s largest carmaker seeks ways to radically cut costs in Germany to better compete with cheaper Asian rivals that have entered its home market.
The VW crisis comes at a time of uncertainty and political upheaval in Europe’s largest economy, as well as wider turmoil among the region’s automakers.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, trailing in polls ahead of a snap election, warned VW against factory closures over the weekend.
Workers are staging four-hour strikes, the second walkouts in a week and for twice as long as the two-hour strikes that took place the first time.
