"Labor dispute at VW escalates amid worsening cost crisis," 2 December 2024

Thousands of VW workers went on strike... in an escalating industrial dispute. While labor unions want a pay hike, the crisis-hit German auto giant is intent on making mass layoffs and closing factories...

VW workers in Hanover are joining in a strike that is hitting almost all VW plants in Germany... [Due to] a decision by VW's management... to close several VW plants in Germany and lay off thousands of workers. The move is unprecedented in the carmaker's more than 87 years of history, and comes after it had scrapped a job security agreement with labor unions earlier this year that had ruled out dismissals until 2029...

While workers at VW's factory in Osnabrück, Germany, have secured a seperate bargaining agreement and don't participate in the strike, the rest of VW's workforce in Germany is still hoping for a new deal.

In a recent round of wage negotitions, VW workers have offered  to back €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) in cost savings if management rules out closing plants in Germany, but warned the automaker would face an historic battle if it pressed ahead with swingeing cuts...

The IG Metall union announced at the weekend that industrial action would get underway Monday with a series of "warning strikes", which are short walkouts, after the company had last week rejected the union's proposals for protecting jobs...