STUTTGART, Germany (AP) -- Daimler AG said Wednesday that it plans to cut some 1,000 jobs at its Mercedes car unit in Germany in the coming months under a voluntary program.
The plan is directed at workers aged up to 50 and should be concluded by the end of March, the company said. There was no immediate word on its costs.
"On the basis of our agreements with the employee council, we are giving workers in the German car plants the possibility of leaving the company," Daimler personnel chief Wilfried Porth said.
The plan is a "consequence of our measures to cut costs and increase efficiency," he added.
Employees also will be offered the possibility of reducing their working hours for three years.
Current labor agreements at Daimler, which has more than 160,000 workers in Germany, rule out compulsory layoffs until the end of 2011.
