Volkswagen strike halts production amid job‑cutting fears
As promised, so they acted. On Monday, 2nd December, Volkswagen's German factories halted operations for several hours. This action served as a warning to the company's management, who are threatening to close some plants and make staff redundant.
The strike, announced last week by the IG Metall trade union, took place as planned. Employees from nine German Volkswagen factories stopped work for several hours. According to IG Metall representatives, as many as 98,500 people participated in the protest.
The strikers opposed Volkswagen's plans to potentially close some factories and protested against the proposed 10 percent pay cuts. The company's management considers these measures necessary due to rising costs, declining demand, and increased competition from China.
The trade unions, however, proposed an alternative solution, offering to forgo bonuses and pay raises for the next two years. Nevertheless, Volkswagen rejected this proposal.
"This was the first strong impact of the winter protest. Volkswagen should come to their senses and finally abandon their disastrous plans; otherwise, our colleagues will find the right response," said the chief negotiator of IG Metall, Thorsten Groeger.
