Europe. Volkswagen strike heats up: Unions threaten major escalation
On Monday, December 9, Volkswagen employees again left their workplaces during a strike against the company's controversial plans. Concurrent talks did not achieve a breakthrough, and labor unions threatened a serious escalation.
German Volkswagen employees affiliated with the IG Metall union do not intend to approve Volkswagen's plans regarding wage cuts and the possible closure of several factories. The conflict is intensifying with each passing week.
In early December, nearly 10,000 workers at nine plants participated in a two-hour warning strike. On Monday, December 9, another round of protests occurred, lasting four hours. However, IG Metall representatives are threatening longer stoppages.
"Today, the workforce is taking a stand in the form of a nationwide warning strike. Everywhere, at all locations, in all shifts, Volkswagen employees are stopping work, not for two hours as they did last time, but for four hours," said IG Metall's chief negotiator, Thorsten Groeger.
"And if that isn't enough, the New Year's Eve fireworks will be followed by an escalation that this company has never experienced before," he added. The unions are not ruling out 24-hour strikes and, if necessary, even indefinite ones.
Employees hope that this approach will break the deadlock and force Volkswagen authorities to abandon plans for a 10% wage cut and the closure of the least profitable factories.
