Ford Motor Co. workers and Russian Communist Party members rally against layoffs in Vsevolozhsk, Leningrad Region, April 7, 2006.
Photo: Nikita Infantyev
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Ford Shuts Down Production on Strikers
Ford Motor Co. in Vsevolozhsk, Leningrad Region, announced yesterday that it was stopping production of the Ford Focus for an indefinite period. That was company management's response to worker intentions of beginning a strike at midnight tonight. The plant has been ordered closed to the workers, but they say they will enter by force, because they “don't want to strike in the frost.”
The workers intend to continue their strike until their demands are met. Those are an increase in salary to 28,000 rubles per month, that is, by more than a third, and the shortening of the night shift to seven hours.
Earlier protests took the form of workers refusing to work while at the workplace. Union leaders say about 1500 workers will take part in the strike, and 400 will not. Workers who do not strike and promise not to take part in strike actions will receive two-thirds of their salaries.
The Leningrad Regional Court declared the warning strike staged at the plant on November 7 illegal yesterday. That strike lasted 19 hours and ended when a court injunction was issued. The court did not declare the strike illegal at that time, but ordered that it be postponed. Ford public relations manager Ekaterina Kulinenko said that the management is prepared to negotiate a new collective contract after November 26, but not during a strike.
Theo Streit, general director of ZAO Ford Motor Co., called union demands “excessive” and stated that detailed discussion was necessary. The Ford plant has a capacity of 300 vehicles per day. Thus, every idle day represents a loss of $3-3.5 million. Kulinenko said, however, that production norms would be met later.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 20, 2007
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