Airbus Says It Snooped On German Staff In 2005-07

Aircraft maker Airbus snooped on staff in Germany from 2005 to 2007 as part of a campaign to uncover potential corruption, the EADS unit acknowledged Thursday.

The case adds to growing clamor in Germany over corporate surveillance of workers, an issue that cost the head of German state rail company Deutsche Bahn his job this week.

Former management at Airbus's German business had ordered checks to see whether bank account numbers for staff matched those of suppliers, it said in a statement. All staff members in Germany were examined in the probe which ended in mid-2007.

The checks, which emerged in an audit ordered by current management late last year, did not detect any cases of wrongdoing.

"An internal comparison of data was seen as legally allowed at the time," it added, noting it had already informed staff of the matter.