VW Cracking the Whip in Germany

June 16, 2006 – 9:29 am by Matt Radel
Filed under Rants

Currently employees of these plants have put in a four day, 28.8 hour workweek since 1994. The week was shortened to prevent 30,000 people from losing their jobs. VW wants to return to the standard 35-hour week to “increase productivity and increase costs”. The union rejected the proposal, but both sides have agreed to continue talks to reach an agreement.

Wow. I can’t help but think that these employees are being paid for a 28-hour week (and mayhaps not all that well for even a short week) and will be the losers if this deal goes through. Still, even though the company’s overall sales are up, someone might have to make a sacrifice to keep it healthy. Of course, the one to sacrifice is ALWAYS the little guy, as VW is looking for ways to eliminate 20,000 jobs in these plants.

Then again, maybe these people are paid very well for the amount of hours they work and are simply looking to stay ahead. Not very likely, but I dunno. I imagine the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Read the original article here.

*UPDATE*

VW has denied the job cuts, claiming they “have never said such a thing.” Read the article here. It also states that the workers are “highly paid”.

VW Cracking the Whip in Germany
June 16, 2006 – 9:29 am by Matt Radel