German VW workers kick off second round of strikes

WOLFSBURG, Dec 09 (AFP): Thousands of Volkswagen workers walked out on Monday in the second round of strikes in the escalating conflict between unions and management over the German carmaker's drastic savings plans.

The four-hour work stoppage was called at nine Volkswagen factories across the country.

The action is twice the length of the first "warning strike" organised by union IG Metall last week, which saw some 100,000 workers down tools.

The walkout was timed to coincide with the latest round of negotiations between unions and management over VW's savings plan.

The two sides have been locked in bitter talks since Volkswagen said in September it was considering closing factories in Germany for the first time in its history.