Workers at large engineering companies including DaimlerChrysler, Bosch and MAN are set for strike action starting tomorrow, as the IG Metall trade union increases pressure on engineering employers to meet its 6.5 per cent wage demand.

The short "warning strikes" follow the collapse of wage negotiations yesterday, when the Gesamtmetall engineering employers' group refused to increase its offer of a 3 per cent rise including bonus payments.