Thousands of Volkswagen workers in Germany went on strike on Monday after the company announced plans to close three plants and slash pensions.
Tens of thousands of employees with the IG Metall union stopped work at 9:30 a.m.
The strike is set to last two hours, a process which will be repeated by the late shift.
Nine of Volkswagen’s car and component factories in Germany were affected by the so-called warning strikes, with work either being halted temporarily for demonstrations or shifts being cut short by workers.
Gröger and workers’ council leader Daniela Cavallo are expected to address the crowd outside the company’s flagship plant in Wolfsburg.
The move is a response to €18 billion ($19 billion) in budget cuts at the struggling carmaker, which includes major changes to its generous pension plan and an unprecedented three plant closures within Germany.
Daniela Cavallo, head of the Volkswagen works council, on Monday also called on workers to take a stand. The ongoing warning strikes aim to stress the demands of workers and to let the board know that the only way through a crisis is with the workforce, not against it, she said.
The issues at Volkswagen highlight the struggles facing the eurozone’s economic powerhouse.
Germany’s export-heavy economy has been suffering in recent years due to declining industrial orders.
In October, VW reported a 64% plummet in third-quarter profits. Other German automakers, such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz, have also reported major losses.
Three rounds of negotiations have taken place between Volkswagen, the union and company’s works council so far without success. Further talks are set to take place later this month.
Workers have so far been prevented from taking strike action under a peace obligation, which ended on Dec. 1.
The last major strikes at Volkswagen took place in 2018, with around 50,000 workers participating, while smaller warning strikes of several thousand employees took place in 2021.
