Talks with the trade unions aiming at a compromise solution will soon be launched by the management of Volkswagen, in order to mitigate adverse effects on production from the previously announced strike action by workers, as the labour council called it an "unprecedented attack" on labour contracts.
Volkswagen Group and the IG Metall union will start talks in late September on a new labor deal for six of the automaker's German plants after a job security program was canceled by the company earlier this week.
Europe's biggest carmaker has clashed with workers over proposals to close German plants, which are suffering from high labour and energy costs as well as intensifying competition.
Talks between VW and Germany's most powerful union will start on September 25, about a month ahead of schedule, the VW workers' council said in a statement on September 12.
The labour council said the acceleration of the talks timetable was in response to an "unprecedented attack" on labour agreements earlier this week, citing VW's move to scrap a decades-old job guarantee at the six plants.
"The upcoming negotiations appear to be so complex due to VW's extensive complaints that lengthy talks are expected," the workers' council said, adding that its head, Daniela Cavallo, will be part of the team leading the negotiations.
The board said the negotiations were further complicated by VW's regular annual investment planning, which comes in the autumn, as well as the carmaker's planned cost cuts.
VW had offered to speed up talks with IG Metall - originally scheduled for mid to late October - earlier this week, as requested by the unions, which have promised strong resistance to any redundancies and plant closures.
