Volkswagen wants this whole Dieselgate crisis to end already, and to expedite the process, they’ve told their employees to go ahead and nark all they want about who was involved and how it all went down.
According to The New York Times, in a letter to employees, chairman of the VW passenger cars division Herbert Diess told employees that they shouldn’t worry for their jobs over openly revealing Dieselgate information. But there’s a deadline for coming forward. Via the newspaper:
In a letter to employees on Thursday, Herbert Diess, chief executive of the division that produces Volkswagen brand cars, said people who provided information would not be fired or face damage claims. Mr. Diess cautioned, though, that the company could not shield employees from criminal charges.
The amnesty offer is valid through Nov. 30, Mr. Diess wrote, according to excerpts from the letter seen by The New York Times. The offer applies only to workers who are covered by collective bargaining agreements; it excludes top management.
[...] “Every single day counts,” Mr. Diess wrote. “We are counting on your cooperation and knowledge as our company’s employees to get to the bottom of the diesel and CO2 issue.”
In order to ensure what Diess referred to as “full and swift clarification,” workers involved in collective bargaining agreements (in other words, union employees) have until the end of this month to come forward and reveal what they know about the cheating scandal. As long as they nark before the 30th, they’re in the clear and won’t be sued or canned—but they could still be prosecuted criminally. That isn’t up to VW.
The deadline seems arbitrary, but it makes sense. Without a deadline, people on the fence will continue to hesitate. Drawing a line in the sand will help flush out informants quickly, so VW can try and move past this crisis.
Photo credit VW