Volkswagen workers issue ultimatum with threat of strike escalation 

Workers protesting cuts to wages or plant closures threaten 24-hour strikes

Volkswagen workers at a rally on the grounds of the main Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg, Germany, last week. Picture: Julian Stratenschult via AP

Volkswagen workers said its management had one last chance to compromise or risk strikes on a scale not previously seen next year, as talks were set to begin in a bitter standoff over wage cuts and plant closures.

VW staff have downed tools at nine German sites, while thousands marched with flags and whistles to a square in Wolfsburg, where the carmaker is headquartered, to listen to union leaders.