Volkswagen's employees have announced a strike at all of the brand's car factories in Germany. The strike starts already today, Monday, they say.
Volkswagen is facing a serious crisis, which is now prompting the employees to go on strike at all of the brand's factories in Germany.
The IG Metall union, which represents around 120,000 employees at Volkswagen, has announced widespread strikes that will paralyze production across the company's German factories.
The conflict centers on the wage negotiations for the employees. Volkswagen has refused to accept the demand for wage increases and has instead proposed a wage decrease of ten percent. This announcement has caused great dissatisfaction among the employees, who fear for their job security.
The situation is further aggravated by Volkswagen's plans to close at least three factories in Germany and lay off a significant number of employees. These measures are part of the company's strategy to deal with the economic crisis that has hit the car industry hard.
– Production will be temporarily suspended at all factories in the near future, says Thorsten Gröger, chief negotiator for IG Metall, to the German newspaper Bild .
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He emphasizes the union's willingness to fight for the employees' interests and rights.
– We do not want this conflict, but we will continue it as long as the management only favors cutbacks and redundancies instead of future prospects, says Gröger.
He warns that the conflict could become one of the most intense in Volkswagen's history: "If it becomes necessary, it will be one of the toughest conflicts Volkswagen has ever experienced."
The strike is expected to have significant consequences for Volkswagen, which is already under pressure due to the economic crisis. It is not yet known how long the strike will last and what consequences it will have for the company's production and future.