STORY: Workers at nine Volkswagen plants across Germany brought production to a standstill on Monday (). They went on strike for several hours in an intensifying standoff over wages and the future of the carmaker's operations.

Volkswagen AG workers across Germany began striking Monday over the automaker's plans to cut costs. The German company is planning to slash jobs and pay and close factories, as it struggles with Chinese competition, high costs, and sluggish demand for electric vehicles (EVs).

Volkswagen plants saw workers go on warning strikes on Monday as tensions over changes to labor agreements and potential factory closures escalated.