ZSR Trade Union Proposes 10-percent Pay Rise, Employer Insists on Its Offer

Bratislava, 3 November (TASR) - Negotiators for the Railway Workers Trade Union (OZZ) at state-owned railway infrastructure operator ZSR submitted a counter-proposal during the latest round of collective bargaining on Tuesday, demanding a 10-percent increase in basic pay rates as of 1 January 2027, OZZ negotiators have announced on social media, noting that a proposal to increase basic pay rates was high on the agenda of the negotiations. "The employer maintained its original proposal to increase pay rates by 5 percent as of 1 July 2027, along with a one-off financial bonus of €200 in January 2027. This offer is conditional on amendments to other provisions of the collective agreement on which mutual agreement can be reached," said the trade union representatives. ZSR's management presented its offer at the previous meeting with OZZ representatives on 22 October. In an effort to find an acceptable compromise, the two sides have agreed to hold a working meeting outside the formal collective bargaining process at which they'll seek to reach agreement on specific points of the collective agreement. "We believe that a constructive course of further negotiations will help to move the collective bargaining process forward and lead to the employer putting forward a new, more favourable offer in terms of basic pay rises," added the OZZ negotiators, who said that they'll continue to advocate for the employees' legitimate demands with the aim of securing the best possible conditions for all ZSR employees. ko/df