Germany's IG Metall union launched strikes in the metal and electrical industries early Tuesday, with protests kicking off during the night shift.

The strikes come amid collective bargaining over pay and other conditions for some 3.9 million workers in Germany's automative and other manufacturing sectors.

According to IG Metall, 250 workers went on strike at the Volkswagen(VW) plant in the city of Osnabrück in northwestern Germany. In Hildesheim, about 400 workers at several companies went on strike during the night.

What does IG Metall say?

"The fact that production lines are now at a standstill and offices are empty is the responsibility of the employers," said IG Metall negotiator and district manager Thorsten Gröger in a statement to around 200 workers at the Clarios company in Hannover.

"If no good solutions for our colleagues can be reached at the negotiating table with our partners, other measures are obviously necessary," he added.

Strikes in other bargaining areas are to follow later in the day. The union is demanding a 7% wage increase over 12 months, while the employers have offered a 3.6% increase in two stages over 27 months.

Talks amid Volkswagen crisis

The negotiations, set to continue on Tuesday in their third round, are heavily influenced by drastic austerity measures proposed by car giant Volkswagen.

VW intends to close at least three plants in Germany and cut tens of

thousands of jobs, the leader of the firm's works council told VW employees.

Protests are planned to take place nationwide, with demonstrations at various locations, including the plant in Osnabrück, which is threatened with closure. The plant is not covered by VW's company collective agreement, but is instead part of the regional industry-wide collective agreement.

dh/nm (AFP, dpa)