Romania’s Dacia Car Factory Management Challenges Strike In Court

Ion said that the union did not go through all four chapters of negotiation before calling general strike.

In addition, management challenges the union lists containing the number of participants in the strike, claiming that only 49% of employees (3,025 people) were on strike in the first shift, while 3,169 employees did not participate in the protests.

"I said today that in the first shift, which went on general strike, of the total number of people who came to work, 49% wrote they agree with the strike, while 51% said they do not agree. This is a problem. The main subject of our reproach is the fact that the union did not go through all four chapters of negotiation. We have only negotiated one of the chapters and it would have been normal for us to go through all of the chapters, after which, they were leally able to initiate general strike. The matter will be put to trial and the court will establish the truth and the lawbreakers ," said Liviu Ion.

In his turn, union deputy leader Ion Iordache from the Dacia Renault Union said the lists of signatures vouch for the participation of 79% of employees in the general strike.

"We have the lists of signatures indicating that over 79% of our employees signed agreeing with the general strike. I have contacted the lawyer representing the union and we will come to court to present our evidence," Iordache said.

Dacia employees went on general strike Monday morning, starting with 07:00 local time, after failed negotiations carried out between the union and factory management, on salary hikes.

Management offered an 18.5% increase in salaries for employees with minimal salary and a 12% increase in the gross average salary.

Ion said the management cannot grant a RON550 raise as unionists required. He said that adding all the requirements would results in a raise of over 70%, which is unacceptable considering that Dacia still has to recover losses of EUR61 million.

According to the quoted source, management also offers a bonus, for the results registered in 2007, equivalent to on individual base salary granted in one round, this bonus reaching at least RON1,020, as well as Easter and vacation bonuses.

Unionists said the management’s new offer is largely the same as the old one and employees continue protests.

"The new salary offer is in fact the old one with slight formal changes. Practically, they propose an average 9% increase per employee, which we find unacceptable. We will probably be sued, but we’ll contact the union lawyer and when we confront evidence in court, you’ll see we’re not lying. There is a general state of discontent throughout the company, otherwise we wouldn’t have gone on general strike,” said deputy union leader Ion Iordache.