German Workers Begin Day-Long Strikes Over Wages

  • IG Metall union says employers unwilling to compromise
  • Companies brace for “huge damage” from production turmoil
German metalworkers during a demonstration for higher pay on Jan. 24.Photographer: Daniel Bockwoldt/AFP via Getty Images
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Workers at industrial giants from Siemens AG to Daimler AG escalated a labor dispute with a series of day-long strikes across Germany that employers said will severely disrupt production.

Wage negotiations with the IG Metall union, which represents about 3.9 million employees and has already rallied almost a million protesters since the start of the year, culminated in 16 hours of tense and ultimately inconclusive talks last weekend.