Volkswagen may cut temporary posts as European car markets continue to weaken although chief executive officer Martin Winterkorn ruled out factory closures or any reduction in permanent workers.
He told the Austrian broadcaster ORF that the group would preserve capacity in Europe although he left the door open to trimming temporary staff that the automaker built up in boom years.
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He added: “The regular staff is certainly something we will hold on to. We will have to think about temporary staff.”
Last week Winterkorn told shareholders at the company’s annual meeting to brace for a tough year because of slowing European consumer demand. He added that VW will stick to its goal to win the global sales crown from Toyota in 2018 despite the European debt crisis.
“Regardless of whether we are in an upturn or a downturn, our goal is to ensure the VW group reaches the top of the automotive industry.”
VW said last month it planned to almost double production capacity in China over the next five years to meeting fast-growing demand from emerging markets and offset declining demand at home.
The group also plans to open 1,500 sales outlets in growth regions in the medium term, adding to its network of 20,000 dealers around the world.
