VW workers to grill CEO on overhaul threatening 140,000 jobs, works council says

By Rachel More

BERLIN, July 17 (Reuters) - The works council of German carmaker Volkswagen said on Friday it will host extraordinary staff assemblies in August with CEO Oliver Blume, giving workers the opportunity to grill him on plans threatening up to 140,000 jobs.

Blume will attend meetings with staff at the company headquarters in Wolfsburg on August 25, and the plants in Emden and Zwickau on August 26, the works council said in an update to staff seen by Reuters.

Emden and Zwickau are two of the four plants faced with closure in the coming years if no alternative is found.

Volkswagen could axe another 50,000 jobs on top of 50,000 job cuts already under way in order to become competitive on costs, Blume has said.

The threatened plant closures after 2030 endanger another 40,000 jobs, the works council said.

A Volkswagen spokesperson said there were currently no agreements and therefore declined to comment on the figure.

(Reporting by Rachel More, editing by Kirsti Knolle and Linda Pasquini)