According to a report, Volkswagen is verifying the salaries of several members of the works council in response to a ruling by the German Federal Court of Justice. Talks about pay cuts were already underway, the Business Insider news portal reported, citing those affected. So VW created its own working group.
According to the report, the background is a decision by the Federal Court of Justice, which last week annulled the acquittal of four VW HR managers in a dispute over the value of salaries and bonuses of influential works councils. The process involved the remuneration that several senior VW workers’ councils received between 2011 and 2016. The bonuses paid to workers’ representatives ranged between 80,000 and 560,000 euros per year.
The Public Prosecutor assessed the approval of wages as infidelity because VW lost profits and tax payments were reduced. The Braunschweig Regional Court initially acquitted the manager of the infidelity charge in 2021. Following the decision by the BGH judges, the district court must handle the case again.
VW did not specifically comment on the report late on Thursday. The company said, however, that BGH’s judgment would be carefully scrutinized. Insofar as it contains statements about the works council pay scale, VW will use these as a guide. VW’s works council did not comment on the report.