Thursday 05 Dec
IG Metall, a major German union, has concluded its warning strikes against Volkswagen, a move that involved nearly 100,000 employees over two days.
The union announced on Tuesday that the two-hour per shift strikes, which concluded yesterday morning, were in response to Volkswagen's plans to reduce wages by 10%, shutter factories, and implement layoffs.
The strikes impacted 9 Volkswagen
plants across Germany, with significant participation from Wolfsburg (47,000),
Kassel-Baunatal (12,500), Zwickau (9,000), and Zwickau and Hanover (9,000).
Thorsten Groeger, the union's
chief negotiator, described the strikes as a powerful demonstration of worker
resistance to the company's proposed changes. He noted that this level of
participation surpasses the 2018 strikes, which involved over 50,000 employees.
A new round of collective
bargaining is scheduled for next Monday between Volkswagen and its workers in
Wolfsburg. Daniela Cavallo, head of the works council, expressed hope for a
resolution, but warned of potential escalation if an agreement isn't reached.
The negotiations will determine the future of approximately 120,000 Volkswagen employees in Germany, including those in Saxony who were granted equal pay in 2021. The union aims to safeguard jobs and working conditions at all Volkswagen sites.
