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Friday, 29 September 2006, 19:11 GMT 20:11 UK
<a name="startcontent"></a>
<h2>VW workers agree to work longer</h2>


<!-- S BO --><!-- S BO -->
<!-- S IIMA -->
	

	
		<img height="152" hspace="4" align="left" vspace="4" border="0" width="203" alt="Staff at VW factory in Wolfsburg" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42074000/jpg/_42074682_vwfact_afp.jpg" />
	
<!-- E IIMA -->
<!-- S SF -->
<B>Volkswagen has struck a deal with unions to extend the working week of staff at six German plants without any increase in pay.</B>
<P>
In return for raising their hours by four hours a week to 33 hours, the 100,000 workers have been guaranteed job security until 2011.  
<P>
The carmaker promised to build the next generation of its flagship Golf model at its main factory in Wolfsburg.
<P>
The company wants to cut costs for the production of its vehicles.
<!-- E SF -->
<P>
Cars such as the Golf are selling strongly but are bringing in little profit. 
<P>
VW had been seeking a 35-hour week without extra pay.
<P>
"These binding and concrete product promises secure the work force through 2011 and beyond in all six west German production locations," said Hartmut Meine, negotiator for the IG Metall union.
<P>
VW also promised unions that the Wolfsburg site would be given another high-volume model to produce, and would be used to its full capacity of 460,000 cars per year.
<P>
"With an agreement on the main points, we have taken a big step forward in the restructuring of Volkswagen," said the company's human resources director Horst Neumann.
<P>
"The negotiations were very tough, but they were characterised by a common will to raise Volkswagen's competitiveness.
<P>
"With a return to normal working times, we have achieved that."<!-- E BO --><!-- E BO --><br>

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