![]() ![]() ![]() The VW strike found considerable support in neighboring Czech Republic where the workers at the VW subsidiary Skoda earn even less than their counterparts in Slovakia. It was no coincidence that Zoroslav Smolensky, the new head of the union, was a long time member of the OZ KOVO. Despite its militant trappings "Modern odborov Volkswagen" defends the same nationalist conceptions. ![]() The union "Modern odborov Volkswagen" was founded last autumn following growing resistance to the corrupt OZ KOVO union, which is closely linked to Germany’s IG Metall and the company management. The strike and negotiations last week have confirmed that the limited, nationalist conceptions and the trade union mantra of social partnership are completely bankrupt. This requires a ruthless assessment of previous conflicts. In other words, new and even bigger class struggles are imminent and it is important to prepare for them. One striking worker told the World Socialist Web Site last week: "We work like robots on the production line." The company management will use the above-average time frame of the wage agreement to increase exploitation even further. The contract does nothing to alter working conditions characterised by ever-increasing work demands, short breaks, constant control and the type of psychological pressure accompanying group work. The Slovakian capital Bratislava, on the outskirts of which the VW plant is located, is one of the most expensive cities in Europe, with above-average rents and living costs. As before, workers can barely afford reasonable accommodation and pay their day-to-day bills, despite working arduous shifts. The minimal wage increase will do nothing to stem growing social inequality. There is mounting anger in factories across the region about the gulf between astronomical profits and rock bottom wages. The time when the big auto companies and other multinationals could use low wages to achieve maximum profits is coming to an end. It demonstrates the growing radicalization of the working class in Eastern Europe and marks a new stage in the class struggle. This was the first industrial action at Volkswagen since the company moved to Slovakia in 1991 and it was the first strike at a major auto factory in the Eastern European country since the re-introduction of capitalism. The importance of the strike, however, should not be assessed merely on the basis of the limited nature of the final deal. He added, "This gives us planning security for the next two years and beyond." As is the case in Germany, the so-called "peace" obligation means that workers cannot take strike action during the duration of the contract. VW CEO Ralf Sacht stated that the long duration of the contract (the end of August 2019 -the longest contract in the history of the plant) was important for the company. Some write bluntly: "We have been tricked."Īt a press conference on Monday management emphasized that the deal could have been achieved without a strike. Others asked which union bureaucrats had been bribed to agree the settlement. This is not what we had struck for, some workers wrote. They accuse the union negotiation commission of capitulation and complain the strike was ended with a lousy compromise precisely at the moment when it was having a considerable impact on production at other plants. Many workers had hoped for much more, and there are many critical comments on Facebook. The fact is that each wage increase covers a separate year, meaning the actual wage contract is around five percent. The assertion that the wage increase totals 13.5 percent (4.7 percent + 4.7 percent + 4.1 percent = 13.5 percent) is standard trade union double talk, which is then echoed by the media. In addition, the company agreed a one-off payment of 500 euros which, as is always the case with such payments, will be subject to a considerable tax deduction. ![]() This means a monthly increase of 32 euro for pay group 1, and a 48 euro increase for pay group 6. Last Sunday, management agreed a 4.7 percent increase as of June 1, 2017, 4.7 percent from January 2018 and 4.1 percent from November 2018 onwards. Then the company offered a 4.5 percent wage increase with another 4.2 percent for the coming year, as well as a one-off payment of 350 euros. On closer inspection, it is clear that the union has agreed to a deal only marginally higher than the offer made by VW management in April. The trade union "Modern odborov Volkswagen" has greeted the wage deal agreed by management as a great success and claims that the 13.5 percent wage increase is a major concession in light of the strikers’ original demand for 16 percent. Eight thousand of the 12,300 workers at the plant had struck for six days, paralyzing production. Auto workers at the Volkswagen plant in Bratislava, Slovakia resumed work at the beginning of this week. ![]()
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