Thousands of Volkswagen workers in Germany went on strike on Monday after the company announced plans to close three plants and slash pensions.
"Warning strikes will begin Monday in all plants," said Thorsten Gröger, who is leading the union negotiations with German auto giant.
"If necessary, this will be the toughest wage dispute Volkswagen has ever seen."
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.