Employees at nine of the company’s European companies walked off their work for several hrs and warned that if their demands were ignored, the action may be escalated. Ford employees in Germany escalated their labour dispute with supervision by removing them from their work for a few hours on Monday, and their coalition threatened to hold a longer strike if their needs weren’t met. As the manufacturer attempts to reduce costs in an effort to transfer it to revenue, the company is in the middle of labour negotiations with IG Metall, the federation representing the majority of its employees. Skoda is threatening to close its German factories, the first of its kind in its 87-year history, and is asking for 10 % pay cuts. On Monday, thousands of workers at nine of the automaker’s factories in Germany and at several other companies that are covered by a wage agreement with the manufacturer erupted in two-hour hits demanding that Volkswagen guarantee their work and keep its factories operational. IG Metall has threatened to launch more boycotts, or open-ended attacks, unless it is able to reach an agreement with Ford professionals. ” If essential, this will be the toughest collective-bargaining war Ford has always seen”, said Thorsten Gröger, the main negotiator and district director for the coalition. ” Ford will have to decide at the negotiating table how long and how powerful this debate has to be”.The work war, the company’s primary involving strikes since 2018, comes as Volkswagen, Germany’s leading automaker, faces slowing demand for its cars in Europe and Asia, as well as increased competition from Chinese automakers. We are having difficulty locating the article’s source. In your browser’s settings, kindly allow JavaScript. Thank you for your patience while exposure is verified. If you are in Audience mode please leave and log into your Times accounts, or listen for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while accessibility is verified. Presently a customer? Register in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.