A daylong wave of strikes at almost all of carmaker Volkswagen’s factories across Germany ended early Tuesday morning, with unions saying nearly 100,000 VW factory workers had taken part in the protests.
The series of two-hour work stoppages were called by the IG Metall union to protest threatened pay cuts, factory closures and mass layoffs at Volkswagen, Europe’s largest carmaker.
The latest exit of VW employees took place during the night shift, and work resumed normally with the start of the regular morning shift on Tuesday.
The strikes, which took place at nine of VW’s 10 factories in Germany, also demonstrated the determination of the auto giant’s German employees to resist the cuts imposed by VW management.
VW management claims deep cuts are needed to keep the automaker competitive, increase profits and finance necessary investments in the brand’s future, including electric vehicles.
Volkswagen also faces significant overcapacity at its factories in Europe, according to VW executives.
VW has been beset by a slump in demand and fierce international competition, especially in the once lucrative Chinese market. VW has also struggled to launch and market electric car models.
The union had a total of 98,650 participants, a large portion of the more than 130,000 VW factory workers in the country.
“The first warning strikes were an absolutely resolute signal from the employees against Volkswagen’s harsh management plans,” said Thorsten Gröger, chief negotiator of IG Metall.
Nearly 100,000 workers had made it loudly clear that they would fight for their jobs, their families and their futures. He said: “That was the first, powerful blow in a winter of protest!”
