WOLFSBURG: Thousands of Volkswagen workers staged a rally on Thursday protesting against the ailing German automaker’s drastic cost-cutting plans as high-stakes talks between company bosses and unions began. About 6,000 workers from across Germany joined the colourful protest outside VW’s historic headquarters in Wolfsburg, waving banners that read “Fight for our future” and “Solidarity wins”.

Thursday’s talks are the third round since September’s bombshell announcement that VW was mulling unprecedented factory closures in Germany and come after union leaders threatened Wednesday to launch strikes if management refuses to dial back its plans.

Volkswagen—whose brands range from its core VW models, to Porsche and Skoda—is battling challenges including high costs at home, slowing sales in key market China and a problematic transition to electric vehicles. Protesting worker Kubilay Otzgemir told AFP that “we are all angry” and that he did not have a “plan B” if he loses his job. “We hope it doesn’t come to that,” said the 41-year-old, who has been working at VW’s plant in Salzgitter for 13 years. “Younger people might still be able to find something but it is a bit more difficult for older people”. At the rally, workers waving the red flag of their union IG Metall chanted and banged drums. Some were dressed as the grim reaper and carried a mock-up gravestone bearing the VW logo and the epitaph “Volkswagen’s values”.

Worker representatives have said at least three German VW plants are at risk and tens of thousands of jobs could go at the flagship brand, while remaining employees face big pay cuts. On Wednesday ahead of the negotiations, IG Metall presented proposals it said would save 1.5 billion euros ($1.58 billion) in labor costs without the need for drastic steps. But they also threatened that if management does not rule out plant closures they would launch a campaign of strikes of a magnitude unseen in Germany “for decades”, starting as soon as next month.

Daniela Cavallo, head of VW’s works council, told Thursday’s rally that labor leaders had “put forward concrete proposals for a solution”. “So far the company has only said where it wants to make senseless cuts... I very much hope that this will change in the next few hours, and the company will finally move to show constructively how we can move forward with shared perspectives.” — AFP