Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Volkswagen workers plan to hold a second wave of warning strikes next Monday, escalating pressure on the automaker as in-house wage negotiations reach a critical fourth round. The strike actions will extend to nine sites across Germany, with workers set to down tools for four hours, double the duration of last week’s walkouts.
The move follows a strong turnout in initial strikes on December 2, where around 100,000 employees participated. Thorsten Gröger, IG Metall’s chief negotiator and district leader, criticized Volkswagen’s management, accusing them of undermining workers’ job security. “It’s cynical for [CEO] Oliver Blume to wish the workforce a Merry Christmas while the company hints at restructuring that could lead to mass layoffs,” Gröger said in a statement on Thursday.
Volkswagen has faced growing unrest as employees demand stronger commitments to secure jobs and a fair wage agreement. Gröger said the strikes are meant to send a clear message: “We demand a future, not clear-cutting! On December 9, we will escalate the pressure at the negotiation table.”
Last month, workers’ representatives at the German car giant Volkswagen Group had urged for an agreement before Christmas, as Europe’s largest carmaker warns of the potential closure of “at least three” plants causing substantial layoffs.
Volkswagen’s planned cost-cutting program was “unavoidable” to address longstanding “structural problems”, CEO Oliver Blume said in a recent interview citing, “weak market demand in Europe and significantly lower earnings from China.”
The negotiations cover approximately 120,000 employees in Germany, representing nearly half of the company’s national workforce of about 300,000.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
