Strikers halt production at BMW plant in eastern Germany

The IG Metall labor union has been scheduling a series of short warning strikes at plants belonging to suppliers and automakers throughout its network, and a BMW AG plant in eastern Germany was the recipient of such a strike. The 1,000 workers at BMW's plant in Leipzig stopped work for an hour Tuesday morning for what was the first of similar strikes to follow in Wednesday at Ford and Siemens plants.

IG Metall's warning strikes are part of an effort to encourage a pay raise for union workers of five percent and better training. Talks between the labor union and management are to resume next week, but as exchange rates and raw material pricing continues to be dicey, it is unknown whether employers will deal.

[Source: BusinessWeek via AP Berlin]