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Ford Resumes Production But Talks Continue
The Ford Vsevolzhsk factory resumed production Thursday following a strike-caused standstill. Trade union leaders say the strike is not over yet. In case talks with the management break down, union leaders promise to stage another strike on Saturday.
Ford’s assembly line began operating last night after workers brought the plant to a standstill on Wednesday.
The plant decided to go on strike on February 2 after the management declined to sign a collective agreement which specified pay rises on an inflation-adjusted basis, working hours and other bonuses. The management offered last week a pay rise of 14 percent to 20 percent, interest-free loans and a one-off loyalty bonus of 10,000 rubles for those who have worked at the plant for more than five years.
The trade union agreed Wednesday night to meet the management for new talks over the collective agreement. Ford considers it as a positive step towards the conflict resolution, Ford spokesperson Ekaterina Kulinenko told Kommersant.
The Ford negotiators met for first talks Thursday night. No compromise was reached, though. The talks will continue on Friday and Saturday. “The strike is not called off yet,” union leader Alexey Etmanov said and added that the strike may be resumed in two days.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Feb. 16, 2007
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