Strike in Volkswagen Slovakia to start next week

The staff at Volkswagen Slovakia's plant in Bratislava will enter into a full-fledged strike as of June 20th. The decision comes after the failure of 11 rounds of talks with the management concerning a new collective agreement, Volkswagen Modern Trade Union (MOV) leader Zoroslav Smolinský announced on Wednesday, saying that the union is not pleased with the situation and is willing to continue in negotiations. MOV has 12 demands going into the strike, the main one being a 16% increase in salaries. The trade union says such a salary hike is possible thanks to the plant's financial results, which are better than ever, as well as by the high quality of the labour force at the plant. The company called the MOV's demand for a 16% hike in salaries inappropriate and unacceptable, given that it would greatly imperil the company's competitiveness and future, as well as the stability of the jobs. VW sticks to its counter-proposal, which it said remains "valid" and is "final". It involves a 4.3% salary increase as of this June along with a one-off bonus of €320 this month, as well as another 4% rise as of January 2018 and a host of changes to the employee benefits scheme. Employees would see their salary increase by €112 per month on average, said the carmaker. Slovak Economy Minister Peter Žiga commented the union's request for a 16% hike as irrational.