IG Metall demands Volkswagen commitment to 2024 wage agreement

HANOVER, Germany, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Germany's IG Metall is demanding a clear commitment from Volkswagen on whether it will honour a landmark wage deal struck in 2024, a leading union representative said, citing fears that a recent turnaround agreement could undermine it.

IG Metall members on Friday decided to invoke a legal clause, which was part of the agreement reached in December 2024, to that effect, Thorsten Groeger told reporters in Hanover.

The move marks an escalation in the fight for Volkswagen's future, which has pitted management against the group's labour and state government stakeholders over a plan to roughly double layoffs to some 100,000 and drastically cut production.

"This uncertainty cannot continue for the workforce at our locations," said Daniela Cavallo, Volkswagen works council chief.

The 2024 deal, which was agreed after mass walkouts, resulted in 35,000 layoffs but fended off immediate plant closures while securing certain job and production guarantees from management.

The agreement also includes a strike truce until December 31, 2026.

Tensions between the two sides have flared again in recent months over CEO Oliver Blume's overhaul plans, including four threatened plant closures early next decade, as Europe's top carmaker battles Chinese competition, mounting tariff payments and high manufacturing costs.

(Reporting by Christina Amann; Writing by Rachel More; Editing by Christoph Steitz and Miranda Murray)