Portugal: pre-agreement on working time at the Palmela Volkswagen plant

On 22 November at AutoEuropa, Volkswagen’s automotive assembly plant, located in the city of Palmela, near Lisbon, Portugal, management at the German automaker together with the Workers Commission signed a pre-agreement on working time. In it working time is to be adapted in two stages so that expected needs of peaks in business activity can be met. This is a compromise agreement between the parties. First, it maintains the weekly two consecutive rest days and then it will introduce continuous seven days per week working from the end of August 2018. The plant’s 5,000 workers will vote on the agreement on 29 November, which could put an end to the current dispute over working time.
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A compromise reached. AutoEuropa’s Workers’ Commission and Volkswagen management have signed a pre-agreement on working time, which intends for a middle-ground solution that starts with maintaining two consecutive rest days per week. Employees will be able to work on public holidays and during the weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) and if so will be paid overtime. Then at the end of August 2018 when workers return from the summer holiday break, continuous work arrangements will commence. Manageme

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