HANOVER, Germany – Several thousand Volkswagen workers took to the streets yesterday to press their demand for wage increases and pay guarantees as the automaker prepared to resume negotiations with Germany’s biggest industrial union.
Employees marched from a factory in Hanover to the city’s central square, carrying placards vowing that “we will fight to the end.” The IG Metall union planned another march at the company’s main Wolfsburg plant later yesterday.Talks between the two sides were set to resume in Hanover yesterday after a nine-hour session Monday – the sixth so far – failed to secure an agreement.”It’s difficult, but we see the possibility that we will get further tomorrow” in negotiations, union negotiator Hartmut Meine said on Monday night.Volkswagen is seeking a two-year wage freeze.It says it must cut costs to meet competition from lower-cost rivals, and also wants more flexible scheduling to avoid overtime and programs that would allow new workers to be paid less.The automaker has 176 400 workers in Germany and has said it will be forced to slash jobs unless it can secure significant cost cuts.The union has demanded annual increases of 2,2 per cent and 2,7 per cent in a 26-month deal, along with job guarantees.IG Metall launched its campaign of short work stoppages Friday.The “warning strikes” are more a show of union resolve than a serious interruption of production.A full-scale strike would require a declaration that talks have failed and a vote by union members.-Nampa-APThe IG Metall union planned another march at the company’s main Wolfsburg plant later yesterday.Talks between the two sides were set to resume in Hanover yesterday after a nine-hour session Monday – the sixth so far – failed to secure an agreement.”It’s difficult, but we see the possibility that we will get further tomorrow” in negotiations, union negotiator Hartmut Meine said on Monday night.Volkswagen is seeking a two-year wage freeze.It says it must cut costs to meet competition from lower-cost rivals, and also wants more flexible scheduling to avoid overtime and programs that would allow new workers to be paid less.The automaker has 176 400 workers in Germany and has said it will be forced to slash jobs unless it can secure significant cost cuts.The union has demanded annual increases of 2,2 per cent and 2,7 per cent in a 26-month deal, along with job guarantees.IG Metall launched its campaign of short work stoppages Friday.The “warning strikes” are more a show of union resolve than a serious interruption of production.A full-scale strike would require a declaration that talks have failed and a vote by union members.-Nampa-AP
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