Volkswagen’s Germany workers walked off their jobs for the second time in a week yesterday over the carmaker’s plans to shutter at least three plants, cut salaries and reduce workforce in its home country.
The strikes involved nine out of 10 plants VW operates in Germany, including Wolfsburg, which saw some 68,000 workers downing tools for four hours, according to Reuters.
Union negotiations have so far not led to a breakthrough – “after today’s (fourth) round it is clear we are still far from a solution,” Volkswagen’s chief negotiator Arne Meiswinkel told the news agency after over seven hours of talks.
However, labour representative Thorsten Groeger told the news agency that it was the first time talks had taken place in a “constructive climate” and that they were ready to return for the fifth round of negotiations on December 16 and 17.
IG Metall, the union representing most Volkswagen workers, is saying no to a 10% pay cut and wants all 10 German plants to stay open. It’s also demanding that the circa-130,000 Volkswagen employees receive a guarantee of employment, reports Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
According to Reuters, Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume last week said the group’s decisions were necessary in a fast-changing environment and that management could not operate “in a fantasy world”.
“The price pressure is immense. We therefore urgently need to take measures to secure the future of Volkswagen,” said Blume, referring to the brand’s troubles in China, its single biggest market. VW recently sold its Xinjiang plant, which it operated with SAIC as a joint venture.
Groeger told Reuters before the latest talks that if a placatory tone could not be achieved, the unions saw no further room for negotiation and would escalate strikes to an unprecedented level in 2025.
“The brand VW is under threat of becoming damaged by the behaviour of the board and the share price has been thrown to the bottom of the basement. That is the board’s responsibility,” the news agency quoted him as saying.
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