Volkswagen offers collective bargaining employees amnesty for info on emissions cheating

FRANKFURT – Volkswagen is telling employees that they can come forward with information about how the company cheated on emissions tests — and won’t be fired.

The offer applies to workers covered by collective bargaining agreements and expires on Nov. 30.

An excerpt from the letter from Volkswagen brand manager Herbert Diess was made public by the company on Thursday.

It says the company won’t seek firing or damages, but can’t get anyone off the hook for ongoing criminal probes. And workers could be transferred to other duties.

Volkswagen is facing fines, expensive recalls and lost sales after U.S. authorities found it had equipped cars with software that turned off emissions controls and pepped up performance when the vehicle was not being tested.

Up to 11 million vehicles worldwide are affected.