Former VW board member Heiss set to rejoin ahead of key meeting, Handelsblatt says

BERLIN, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Volkswagen's supervisory board is set to return to full strength ahead of a crucial Sept. 4 meeting on CEO Oliver Blume's restructuring plan, with former member Marianne Heiss filling a vacant shareholder seat, Handelsblatt reported on Wednesday.

Heiss will replace Susanne Wiegand, the woman who succeeded her in summer last year but left after less than a year, and take over as chair of the audit committee, the paper said citing company sources.

A supervisory board spokesperson declined to comment.

The move would restore the board to its full 20 members, split evenly between shareholder and labour representatives.

The September meeting is Blume's second attempt to get approval for his cost-cutting plan, which could include up to 50,000 job cuts.

Two competing proposals will also be on the table next Friday, sources told Reuters: one from VW's labour representatives, and another from major shareholder Lower Saxony state.

Blume is touring German plants this week to win support for a plan that could also see factory closures, but has so far been blocked by powerful labour representatives.

(Reporting by Kirsti Knolle; editing by Matthias Williams)