The works council of German carmaker Volkswagen is open to negotiations over increased working hours but will not accept job cuts, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported on Saturday.
The paper cited a letter from works council leader Bernd Osterloh to employees saying that, in the interests of securing the company's future, negotiations over longer hours should not be ruled out. But, he added, this would not be without compensation and it would be out of the question if it resulted in job losses.
The head of the works council at Volkswagen's Brunswick plant said last month that he could not imagine a return to the 35-hour week. Company sources have said that the 35-hour week is one option VW is considering as part of a reorganisation that could put up to 20,000 jobs at risk in high-cost Germany.