A spokesperson declined to comment on any interim targets. "It's hard to square the super-tough narrative of having reached a tipping point and going in all guns blazing, with the agreement that came out," said Stephen Reitman, analyst at Bernstein Research who has followed Volkswagen for decades. 'VULNERABLE AND ACCOUNTABLE' Uncertain too is how the company will shed 35,000 jobs from its workforce. Volkswagen promised in 2016 to cut 30,000 jobs, but failed to shrink the total size of the workforce – roughly 120,000, then and now – because of hiring in other areas. It hopes to achieve its target by not replacing workers who retire, and offering early or partial retirement schemes, a labour spokesperson said, highlighting that a clause in the deal that guarantees jobs until 2030 – a win for unions after Volkswagen scrapped a previous job guarantee agreement in September – meant that any departures would be voluntary.