Closing plants would be the wrong move for Volkswagen, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.
Europe's largest carmaker has a responsibility to its employees, he stressed.
Volkswagen is in a bitter dispute with its workers over wage cuts and possible plant closures, which the giant is trying to counter high costs in Germany and the massive influx of cheaper Asian competitors into Europe.
The two sides are starting a fourth round of talks on Monday, December 9.
"The specific solutions will be agreed between the owners and the workers' representatives. My opinion is clear: closing sites is not the right way," Scholz told the Funke media group.
"That would not be right because bad management decisions have contributed to the difficult situation," he added.
The federal state of Lower Saxony is Volkswagen's second-largest shareholder and its premier, like Scholz, has urged the group to avoid closing plants. | BGNES
