Workers at nine of the automaker’s German factories walked off their jobs for several hours, and warned they would escalate the action if their demands went unmet.

BERLIN, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) workers will go on warning strikes on Monday at plants across Germany, labour union IG Metall said, marking the first large-scale walkouts at Volkswagen's domestic operations since 2018.

Volkswagen workers across Germany are ready to strike from December, the IG Metall union said in a pamphlet circulated on Friday. "Volkswagen will determine at the negotiating table how long and how hard the conflict will be - the VW workforce throughout the country is ready to strike,

By Victoria Waldersee and Maria Martinez HANOVER/BERLIN (Reuters) -Workers at nine Volkswagen car and component plants across Germany started strikes lasting several hours on Monday, bringing assembly lines to a halt as labour and management clash over the future of the carmaker's German operations.

Volkswagen has rejected a proposal from labor representatives that they said could avert layoffs and factory closures. VW said it wouldn't have delivered the advertised savings. Strikes loom in the brewing labor dispute.

Volkswagen , under pressure by high costs and Chinese competition, brushed off union proposals for cost savings on Friday, just days ahead of planned walkouts meant to avoid unprecedented plant closures.