In a letter to Volkswagen employees made public Nov. 12, brand manager Herbert Diess encouraged some employees to reveal what they know about how Volkswagen cheated on U.S. emissions in the interest of “full and swift clarification.”
“In this process, every single day counts,” he said in the letter.
The offer, made to nonmanagerial employees covered by collective bargaining agreements, expires Nov. 30. It includes a guarantee that they won’t get fired if they “disclose completely and truthfully” what they know.
The company won’t seek damages against workers who talk about the scandal, which has resulted in the resignation of CEO Martin Winterkorn. But Diess said in the letter that whistleblowers might get transferred to other duties and they won’t be shielded from ongoing criminal probes. The company intends to refer investigators to cooperating employees.
“Past experience has shown this speaks in the employee’s favor,” Diess wrote.
The EPA and the California clean air watchdog first confronted the wayward automaker in September after gathering evidence of high in-use emissions from light-duty diesels. The carmaker equipped diesel cars with software that turned on full emissions controls only when the car is undergoing state emissions testing. During normal driving, the emissions control is turned off.
