Striking workers, most of them women, from the KALI AGRO and SLO.VI textile factories in Hencovce, Vranov nad Topľou district, achieved a success in negotiations on Monday, August 30, with their Italian employers and their legal representative. “The Italian employer agreed to increase the monthly wage by €50. This is an extraordinary success, because I do not know another case where an increase of wages by 15 percent was achieved,” OZ KOVO union representative Jozef Balica told the SITA newswire. The strike, which lasted seven days, has now ended, he added.

The result is a compromise that benefits both sides, Balica stated. “The salaries of all employees will be increased by €20 without any other conditions. In addition, they will receive a further €15 as a special bonus, which will be later tied to specific performance standards. They will receive this €15 even if they miss work due to sickness [up to] twice a month; if they miss it three times, the amount will drop to €8, if more than three times, they will not receive this component of their wage,” Balica explained.

Almost 400 women from both hosiery producing textile firms began their strike on August 24, after trade union representatives were unable to agree with employers on a wage rise and collective agreement. The average net wage in the textile companies previously stood at €260, equivalent to a gross wage of €320.

Source: SITA

Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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