A press conference for the Vasas workers union on Tuesday revealed that management of the B. Braun plant only allows workers to strike in the open air. Production will stop nine times in three days during the extraordinary work that begins on Wednesday, but the strikers will only be able to stay in the factory yard in the evening and in the morning.
At the press conference held at the Gyöngyös website, Zoltán László, Vice President of the Vasas Trade Union, emphasized the demands of the employees. B. Braun plant workers expect a uniform increase in base salary of 8% in addition to the incentive bonuses available from management. The vice president also drew attention to the importance of the work of workers who manufacture medical devices. In addition, the union expressed concern about the health of workers involved in the strike, as the employer only allowed the procedure outside the home.
As part of the three-day strike series, the afternoon and night shifts in the evening should be minus in the yard between buildings from 8 pm to 10 pm and 4 pm to 6 pm.
According to Zoltán László, an employer who is concerned for the safety of his employees and who is in charge of them cannot stand his employees’ strike in the frost.
In this case, we contacted B. Braun Medical Ltd. , Which confirmed that workers must be in the yard during the strike. The decision was justified by the fact that the last time the management allowed outside space for workers participating in the strike to congregate. The factory believes that in the event of a pandemic, outdoor assembly is the safest solution for workers. He stated that there is no high capacity room inside the building where workers participating in the strike can assemble according to the most stringent regulations due to the epidemic and in compliance with fire fighting regulations.
Zoltán László told Mérce that last December there was a lockdown at the factory, as people had to be taken out of the production area, but then the full number of employees was put into buildings. Therefore, he believes the administration’s argument that there is no place to accommodate people during a strike does not hold up.
He also said that the employer, citing the epidemic, did not even allow the union to set up beer benches, gas heaters and a tent for striking workers in the cold.
As previously reported in Mers, on February 23, B. Brown’s employees in Gyeongju were on strike after wage negotiations stalled this year between the two parties. The local organization of the FAS Trade Union Confederation originally called for an increase in the general basic wage by 10 percent, which is in line with the average of the past three years. However, the company has now offered half that amount to the largest assembly plant employee. The federation has since surrendered to its demand: now they will be satisfied with an increase of 8 per cent as well. Since the employer did not allow workers to claim in February, the Vasas trade union is now planning an unusual action: production will stop for two hours per day and each shift for three days starting tomorrow.
Cover Photo: Bernat Laku / Mers
