During her meeting this week with PSA Peugeot Citroen Slovakia general director Jean Mouro, the Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and the Family, Viera Tomanová, told the TASR newswire on March 22 that the government is ready to look at systematic assistance to car makers in the form of partial financing of education programmes and specialised training for employees. The meeting, initiated by the French Ambassador to Slovakia Henry Cuny, was held at the French Embassy in Bratislava.
According to Tomanová, instead of forced holidays for workers during suspensions of production, car makers would utilise the time for internal and external professional training of their employees.
Both the Labour Ministry and the management of PSA Peugeot Citroen Slovakia regard increasing professional abilities and qualifications as a good way to prepare employees of car makers for the resumption of production after the economic downturn is over.
Tomanová said the ministry appreciates the way in which PSA Peugeot Citroen's plant in Trnava is coping with the financial and economic crisis. The head of the plant praised the very good cooperation of PSA Peugeot Citroen Slovakia with the Labour Office in Trnava in moderating the affects of job losses, which are now estimated to be fewer than 190 by the end of 2009.
The Trnava plant of the French car maker, which employs more than 3,000 people, introduced the tool of flexible use of working hours into practice, thus minimising the impacts of the economic crisis on its employees, TASR was told on Sunday by PSA Peugeot Citroen Slovakia spokesman Peter Švec. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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