BERLIN (Reuters – BMW announced Friday that it will reduce the hours of its East German factory from 38 to 35. This is in keeping with the west German factories. The move was welcomed by the workers council, which hoped for long-awaited equality after 30 years since the fall the Berlin Wall fell.

The differences in working hours and salaries between eastern and western Germany are still evident. Government data shows that eastern German workers work longer hours and earn less than western counterparts.

BMW, a former Communist East Germany plant, committed Friday to cutting the work week in Leipzig in three phases to 35 hours per day by 2026. 300 more employees were also hired to fill the gap.

Manfred Schoch, head of works council Manfred Schoch stated that “more than 30 years later the wall fell, our BMW Group workers no longer have to work more than their counterparts in the west.”

Rival Volkswagen, DE: made the same move in May. They implemented a 35-hour workweek at their east German plants to keep pace with west German hours.

It did not employ additional employees, but instead expected east German plants would increase productivity.