Reuters (Hamburg) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) workers aim to obtain a stake in Europe's largest carmaker, a spokesman for the works council said, as they had been promised in the company's takeover battle with Porsche (PSHG_p.DE).
Dow Jones earlier on Wednesday cited works council head Bernd Osterloh as saying he was confident of getting a stake of 2 percent to 3 percent by the end of this year.
That would make the employees one of Volkswagen's biggest shareholder groups after Porsche Automobil Holding SE with 50.7 percent, the German state of Lower Saxony with 20 percent and Qatar with 17 percent.
Volkswagen said almost two years ago, when it won the upper hand over predator Porsche, that employees around the world would get a substantial stake in a new entity to be created by folding Porsche into the Volkswagen business.
But the planned merger has been delayed by legal and tax issues.
Porsche SE has said there is an even chance that it can be folded into VW by the end of this year, when its agreement for a merger under the leadership of VW is still valid.
Both companies have expressed a commitment to go through with the deal next year if there is a delay.
