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Germany: VW workers announce second strike as cuts loom

December 5, 2024

The IG Metall workers union said it would increase the pressure ahead of a fourth round of negotiations in the labor dispute. The union accused VW management of 'slipping layoffs under the Christmas tree.'

https://p.dw.com/p/4noeu
Volkswagen workers hold a sign that reads "warning strike, our good right" during a protest.
Volkswagen workers began their stirkes this week, with nearly 100,000 factory workers participating.Image: Hendrik Schmidt/dpa/picture alliance

The workers' union of German carmaker Volkswagen (VW) said on Thursday that its workers would go on extended strikes next week, starting on Monday.

Europe's largest carmaker has faced backlash over its plans to cut wages, layoff workers and close factories for the first time ever in Germany.

The IG Metall union said the strike on Monday would last four hours at nine different sites across the country and on the same day that a fourth round of negotiations between VW and labor representatives will take place.

Thousands of VW employees are also expected to attend a rally on Monday in Wolfsburg, where VW is headquartered.

The planned duration of the work stoppage is twice as long as the first round that they staged this previous Monday, when nearly 100,000 VW factory workers participated.

The company said on Thursday said the management and labor representatives were still engaging in discussions over viable, long-term solutions that balance economic stability and secure employment prospects.

'Layoffs under the Christmas tree'

But the back and forth between the company and labor representatives in public has been far from amicable.

CEO Oliver Blume on Wednesday defended the belt tightening at VW as necessary in a rapidly changing environment, saying management could not operate "in a fantasy world."

IG Metall negotiator Thorsten Gröger responded to Blume's remarks on Thursday. 

"It borders on mockery when Oliver Blume stands in front of the workforce and wishes them a Merry Christmas, while at the same time, the VW board would prefer to put letters of termination under the Christmas tree for the employees," Gröger said.

"We will now step up our efforts on December 9th and thus increase the pressure on the company at the negotiating table," Gröger said in a statement.

Volkswagen has been affected by high manufacturing costs at home, a sluggish shift to electric vehicles and stiff competition from China.

German automaker Volkswagen faces unprecedented crisis

jcg/ab (AP, Reuters)