BMW has offered to increase its full-time employees in Germany by a net 3,200 people by the end of 2013 in an effort to settle a long-running dispute with its local unions over its employment of temporary workers, two sources told Reuters. According to the sources, BMW had hoped to reach an agreement with its local labor leaders by July 18 and to present the results to employees at a meeting at its Munich plant, but discussions were delayed. An insider told Reuters that there will still have to be some minor legal details to be resolved, adding that the deal is ready for signing, but some of the works councils typically have to do some last-minute coordination with their local committees. The second source said that the 3,200 number is just a ballpark figure, as the net number of new permanent jobs established at BMW over the next 18 months could still change. If the company failed to reach an agreement with the unions before the end of the week, it will have to wait until the end of the month due to the start of summer holidays in the Bavaria, where three of its four biggest domestic car manufacturing plants are located.







