VW faces protests in Germany over proposed job cuts and factory closures

Demonstrations at 18 sites set up as radical transformation plan put to board of Europe's biggest carmaker

Volkswagen's proposal to slash up to 100,000 jobs and close factories faces a major test on Thursday as it is formally put to its supervisory board, with protests planned at all plants in Germany.

IG Metall organised demonstrations involving shop stewards and union council members at 18 sites at Europe's biggest carmaker, including at its headquarters. The influential staff union told the chief executive, Oliver Blume, that he could not pass the buck for failures of recent years on to the workforce".