Workers Strike at Heineken’s Plant in St. Pete
Workers at Heineken’s plant in St. Petersburg began a rulebook slowdown on Friday, demanding a 30 percent raise and other concessions. Heineken says the strike was over by Sunday, but the trade union argues that only strike-breakers keep working as usual. The slowdown costs the Dutch company 10 million rubles daily.
370 workers take part in the strike, according to the plant’s union leader Valery Sokolov. The brewery’s production halved over the weekend, the union reports.
Workers demand a 30 percent raise, extra pay for hazardous conditions, a year-end bonus and other concessions. A letter with the demands was sent to the plant’s management last week. Heineken said it would consider it within one month, which triggered the protest, Mr. Sokolov says. The slowdown will continue until the management enters talks with the union.
Meanwhile, Heineken reports the St. Petersburg plant was already working as usual on Sunday. But the trade union argues that only “outside strike-breakers” are not protesting.
A rulebook slowdown cuts production by 30 percent, according to Ford Motor’s Russian union leader Alexey Etmanov. A large beer distributor estimates that Heineken loses about 10 million rubles every day in the strike.
In January 2006, union leaders at Heineken’s St. Petersburg plant demanded a 50 percent raise, receiving a 30 percent raise in March. Heineken insists, however, that its raises wages every spring and “it has nothing to do with demands of trade unions”.
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All the Article in Russian as of Apr. 16, 2007
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