VW workers walk off job in Germany

Volkswagen workers march behind a banner that translates to "Ready to Strike!" HENDRIK SCHMIDT/DPA VIA AP Workers at Volkswagen factories across Germany walked off the job on Monday after a dispute between the automaker and the IG Metall trade union over looming redundancies reached boiling point. The union has said the company, also known as VW, should be fighting back against competitors and offered to forgo workers' bonuses and pay rises in the short term and make other changes that would save 1.5 billion euros.However, the industrial behemoth has said it would be insufficient to stop it hemorrhaging money in the long term. "If need be, it will be the toughest collective bargaining battle Volkswagen has ever seen," IG Metall's chief negotiator, Thorsten Groger, said as the fightback began. Monday's strikes were so-called "warning strikes", which are a common tactic used in industrial negotiations in Germany to show the strength of feeling among workers.