Germany: crisis at Volkswagen and warning strikes in metalworking industry

Germany's metalworking and automotive sectors are going through a difficult time, with a series of major developments occuring concurrently. We learned on Monday that the management at Volkwagen is planning to close at least three sites, outsource departments, axe jobs and make substantial pay cuts. For their part, employees in the metalworking sector began the first warning strikes of the collective bargaining round overnight, after the employers' offers were deemed insufficient.