Volkswagen looking to cut temporary jobs

Volkswagen is mulling cutting its temporary workforce as part of efforts to offset the cost of the emissions scandal, the car maker's works council said, Reuters reported.

According to a spokesman for the council, a grouping of labour representatives within the company, said it would support efforts to secure temporary jobs but the board was working on "different scenarios".

Volkswagen said in a statement that the outlook for its sales and employment levels remained uncertain, after it reported lower September deliveries on Friday, for its core autos division as also the 12-brand group as a whole.

"If employment declines temporarily, shortened working hours will be a reasonable option," VW said, adding that the executive board was doing everything it could to secure jobs.

After taking a massive hit from the emissions  scandal, Volkswagen had said it will cut investment plans at its biggest division by 1 billion euros a year.

According to some analysts, the scandal could cost could hit the company to the tune of €35 billion to cover vehicle refits, regulatory fines and lawsuits.

Meanwhile, more than three in four drivers want the UK government introduce new tests on vehicle emissions and fuel economy in light of the Volkswagen scandal, a survey has found.

More than three in four drivers favoured new tests on vehicle emissions and fuel economy after the Volkswagen scandal, according to Which?

The poll, carried out by Which?, also found that 79 per cent of people in the UK expected to see more manufacturers would be seen cheating on emissions tests.

Volkswagen had said it would recall 8.5 million vehicles in Europe following the discovery of cheat software used to manipulate environmental tests.

Over 1.2 million vehicles have been affected in the UK with recalls set to start in the first quarter of next year for remedial work.

The survey polled over 1,500 car owners. The survey also found that fewer than one in five people (19 per cent) thought the government had a clear action plan to deal with the fallout from the scandal.

Volkswagen (VW) said that it is recalling 8.5 million diesel vehicles in 28 European countries just days after the Italian police raided the car maker's office in Verona and its sports car unit Lamborghini's office in Bologna in the wake of the global pollution-cheating scandal. (See: VW recalls 8.5 mn cars in 28 EU countries over dieselgate scandal).