Trade unionists from Delphi Slovensko protested on Wednesday, October 24, against the firm’s planned layoff of more than 500 employees, and sought higher severance pay for those affected.
"We have a grave concern and suspicion that the company will terminate its activities in Senica [in Trnava Region] altogether and shift production to some other country, quite possibly Romania. We understand that we can't make the company stay here, however, if it's to leave, we want higher severance for the dismissed employees. When the company left the Czech Republic, employees were paid severance worth 14 months, whereas in England it was up to 24 months," Emil Machyna, chairman of the KOVO union, said on Wednesday, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
Union leaders expressed dismay that the labour office had consented to mass layoffs via a fast-tracked procedure. If it had not done so, people could have held on to their jobs for at least a month longer and had more time to find new jobs, according to KOZO. The redundant employees are to receive severance pay worth three to five months’ salary; but the union wants at least 14 months.
Delphi Slovensko manufactures cable-bundles for the automobile industry. The lay-offs will be carried out in four stages, with the first 85 employees to lose their jobs by the end of this year and the rest by June 2014.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
