Did high-ranking managers at Volkswagen vote illegally for works councils? The prosecutor Braunschweig accuses four former and current top managers - and has accused them of infidelity. This is clear from a communication from the authority.
The topic has been affecting the Group and the Lower Saxony judiciary since 2016. The prosecutors are investigating whether employee representatives have been granted too high salaries. "The accused are accused, as the respective personnel boards or head of human resources for the Group brand Volkswagen between May 2011 and May 2016, several workers' council members to have granted excessive salaries and bonuses," write the investigators. As a result, the VW Group was hurt in the millions.
The head of the works council, Bernd Osterloh, is being investigated separately on suspicion of aiding and abetting infidelity. In his case, however, the investigations were separated from the main proceedings against the four managers - it is also not about a possible own advantage for Osterloh.
In response to the initial suspicions and corresponding searches by tax inspectors, Volkswagen had capped the salaries of leading employee representatives for the time being. The head of the company wanted to play it safe in the face of criminal investigations and protect its management staff from further risks. "We regret that members of our works council and representatives of the company are exposed to this situation," said the then CEO Matthias Müller and announced to seek a legal clarification.
Non-tariff remuneration of high works council members is a matter of negotiation in many companies. Basic provisions of the Works Constitution Act on remuneration are considered imprecise and in need of reform - for example, the question arises as to which pay corridors should apply exactly in the case of management tasks.
