Tata Steel staff took work stoppages this morning. About a hundred employees from, among others, the port authority and rail transport gathered in the canteen, where they demanded an explanation from personnel director Guido Bockting. Earlier this morning, staff blocked the company’s entrance gate. This created a traffic jam on the access roads to the steel company.
It was a wild campaign with which the staff wanted to send a signal to the management. He is currently negotiating a new collective labor agreement with the FNV.
The union wants a gross salary increase of 150 euros per month, in addition to automatic price compensation. The management does not want to go further than 1.3 percent in combination with a wage increase of 60 euros. The FNV has previously called this offer ‘shocking and insulting’.
The FNV speaks of ‘sky-high inflation that is palpable in everyone’s wallet and that at a time when the steel company is still making record profits.’ Although Tata Steel is also affected by high gas prices, according to trade union leader Cihan Lacin, these are passed on to the customer. Lacin: “Instead, the company should show its appreciation to the hard-working employee.”
Lacin does not rule out the possibility that staff will stop working in several business units today. “People are angry and we understand that very well.”