Unoffical strike in auto-sector in Czech

Under the pressure of management strikers called off the strike during the afternoon, called strike emergency and promised that they will make up lost time during extraordinary shifts.

The reason behind the action was new salary allotment, which mean for some workers decline of wages by 3 – 5 thousand crown per month. Present wages in the factory amount 12 thousand – 21 800 crowns per month (overtime bonuses and company benefits included) before taxation. Company benefits amount about 50 percents of wage.

After the threat by bosses…
The strike (according to the unions boss in the factory Ngoová) was started in 6.a.m. by morning shift and joined in 10.00 a.m. by their colleagues from afternoon shift.

“I warned the all that the strike is not organized by unions and therefore it is illegal. Every employee act solo. The management announced that strikers have unexcused absence, moreover the director gave notice to the five representatives of strikers me including,” Ngoová said. She reputedly was given a notice because she didn´t succeed to persuade strikers to end their action.

A lawyer of the company said during the day that he will appeal to a court because of the illegal strike.

"Chief of the production said us lately that if afternoon shift will start to work the management pull down the notices. But the strikers decided that they will not work until their wage basis is raised. Company bonuses represent 50 percents of the salary today,” Ngoová explained for ČTK press agency.

… the proletarians called back the strike
In the end workers the fight gave up and they returned to work during the afternoon. "The management promised us it will pull down the notices which were given to the most active strikers me including. Time lost we will compensate during extraordinary shifts in Saturday and Sunday as necessary. In Monday we will see more,” spokesman of strikers Miroslav Sivák said.

In Monday the management should offer new salary allotment.

Hyundai, Dymos, Grammer… dicreet return of the collective class struggle?
This action is (after the strikes in Hyundai and Dymos) other example of unrest in automotive industry in Czech, whereas these events came after about nine years silence in this terrain (last mini-cycle of struggles in Czech happened in 1999/2000 and it was represented by occupational strike of miners in North Bohemia and protests against non-payement of wages for instance in companies ČKD in Prague, Let Kunovice or Zetor Brno).

Both in Hyundai and in Grammer was present (as a tool of management) legal proceedings against strikers for material compensation of profit lost. In Hyundai it is a element of agreement between unions and management (an agreement which put an end to the strike emergency there): unions agreed that participants of every wildcat, spontaneous strike in the future will be bring to justice. The same threat was used in Grammer.

Grammer CZ Ltd came into operation in industrial agglomeration Velebudice in Most in 1996. It produces complements to cars and it employed 375 people in 30th June 2009.