BERLIN, July 11 (Reuters) - U.S. carmaker Ford has

agreed with German union IG Metall to protect the jobs of all

employees at its site in Cologne through 2032, with voluntary

redundancies allowing the company to achieve its restructuring

aims, its works council said on Friday.

"The job cuts are primarily based on voluntary redundancies.

The severance payments are generous and significantly better

than usual in the automotive industry," works council head

Benjamin Gruschka said in a statement shared by Ford.

A separate statement from IG Metall said the future of

Cologne production remained unclear but welcomed the 'safety

net', adding that employees would be informed about the

agreement in meetings over the course of Friday.

(Reporting by Rachel More, editing by Thomas Seythal)