Stiri	Stiri afaceri	Stiri companii	Evenimente de afaceri

Energy and iron-and-steel workers on strike

The energy unionists from eight counties, affiliated to the Univers National Federation of Electricity Unions, a representative organization of ENEL Group, namely employees of Enel Dobrogea, Enel Energie Bucharest, Enel Servicii Comune Bucharest, were yesterday between 7.30 and 9.30 a.m. on warning strike, supplying only one third of the activity, in hospitals, kindergartens and schools.

About 80 per cent of Enel Dobrogea employees went on strike for two hours claiming a 25 per cent increase of the salaries, but the Company's managers offered only 7 per cent, Enel Dobrogea Unions leader Eugen Capitaneanu said. The energy unionists affiliated to Univers Federation reached last week an understanding with the administrations of the companies Transelectrica, Smart, Electrica and their branches, over the increase in the salaries in two stages, the first being of nine per cent, due on April 1, but the conflict with other companies remained open. Univers Federation president Adolf Muresan said that the conflict of interests in terms of the salary rise was partially settled late last week. 'We obtained a rise of 9 per cent as of April 1, and another one as of July 1, after the budgetary rectification. We are happy with the negotiation results, even if we initially requested a rise of 25 per cent in two stages,' Muresan stressed. Enel's officials said that in the company's opinion, the negotiations are not blocked like the unionists pretend. Enel subsiduiaries in Dobrogea, Banat and Enel Energie, Enel Servicii Comune, E.ON Furnizare expressed their willingness to continue the negotiations and settle the conflict friendly, while Univers Federation decided to defer the warning strike for March 17 and start it properly on March 24. According to him, the discussions will happen this week. The unionists also hope the negotiations will continue in CEZ Distributie company, in order to avoid launching the conflict of interests and the strikes. Also on Monday, a delegation of Solidaritatea Unions of Arcelor Mittal embarked on a 'caravan of despair,' starting from the plant and going as far as Brussels. The unionists requested a salary rise of 25 per cent and the declassification of the privatisation contract of the Galati-based plant, but AVAS Privatization Authority officials opine it can be declassified only subject to the parties' agreement. The delegation of the iron-and-steel workers picketed the headquarters of the Government and of AVAS, and after the action in Bucharest the unionists will go to Brussels and to Arcelor Mittal offices in Luxembourg for a similar protest action. AVAS announced that the main shareholder of Sidex Steel Works in Galati has paid all debts to the Romanian State and fulfilled all the requirements stipulated in the privatisation contract up to the moment. Sursa: http://www.rompress.ro

Tags: unionists strike steel energy