Germany’s IG Metall trade union has launched strikes in the metal and electrical industry early on Tuesday amid sector-wide collective bargaining talks, staging protest actions during the night shift. The collective bargaining talks cover wages and other conditions for around 3.9 million workers in Germany employed in the automotive and other manufacturing industries. These negotiations, set to continue on Tuesday in their third round, are heavily influenced by drastic austerity measures proposed by car giant Volkswagen (VW) on Monday. VW intends to close at least three plants in Germany and c…