"Employees from all Volkswagen plants in Germany went to Wolfsburg on Thursday, where the third round of collective negotiations between IG Metall and Volkswagen was held at the Volkswagen Arena. More than 6,000 workers came to the eastern part of Lower Saxony to express their dissatisfaction with the actions of the Volkswagen board at a high-profile rally," the union said in a statement.
The union noted that larger protests could begin in December.
During the negotiations, the union proposed a plan for saving 1.5 billion euros ($1.57 billion), which does not imply plant closures, mass layoffs or salary cuts, the statement read.
In late October, Volkswagen works council head Daniela Cavallo announced plans to close three German plants to cut costs, potentially impacting tens of thousands of jobs. Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume linked the cost-saving measures to increased competition in Europe and Germany’s waning competitiveness, with layoffs potentially beginning in July 2025, according to media reports.