Kia Slovakia Employees Go on Strike Alert

Zilina, 31 March (TASR) - Employees of the Kia Slovakia carmaker are going on a strike alert, the company's trade union chairman Martin Cech informed TASR on Tuesday. Following a vote by the delegates of the conference, the highest decision-making body, the KOVO Trade Union at Kia Zilina, will organise a vote among employees on whether to go on strike, said Cech. According to Cech, the reason for this step is the dissatisfaction of a significant part of the employees with the employer's proposals during collective bargaining so far. "The company's trade union organisation opines that the employer's current proposal represents a defeat for working people in the upcoming years, and, paradoxically, it is most detrimental to long-serving employees, who have spent a significant part of their lives and, in many cases, their health here," said Cech. The trade union haven't reached an agreement with the employer on concluding a collective agreement yet, and the trade union declared a dispute over the conclusion of the collective agreement in late January. The union is demanding a salary increase of €250 per month this year. ko/df