Following a trend that is spreading across Germany, Volkswagen said Monday that it planned to increase its working week to 35 hours from 28.8 hours without a pay increase as part of a broad restructuring program aimed at increasing profitability. The announcement, made after initial talks with labor representatives, is likely to presage a bitter conflict between Volkswagen and IG Metall, the union that represents workers in the sector.
See "Volkswagen to press for more hours for the same pay", Carter Dougherty, International Herald Tribune, June 12, 2006