Workers at Ford's two car plants in the German city of Cologne went on strike on Wednesday, protesting thousands of planned job cuts across the U.S. automaker's European operations.

FRANKFURT, Germany — Ford workers at the U.S. automaker's two plants in Cologne, Germany, will go on strike on Wednesday, their works council head said Monday, as tensions rise over planned job cuts across its European operations.

Ford’s long-standing presence in Europe is now facing major uncertainty, especially at its Cologne plant, which has operated since 1930. Workers’ unions are growing increasingly concerned that Ford Europe could go bankrupt if support from the U.