HKScan meeting with unions unsuccessful, strike to come
The management of HKScan Estonia and representatives of trade unions met once more on Thursday to discuss the wage hike demand of the employees at Rakvere Meat Processing Plant. The talks did not produce any results, which means that plant employees will move forward with a strike to begin on Feb. 6.
Estonian Trade Union Confederation (EAKL) secretary Artjom Arhangelski told ERR that the employees' demands have remained the same.
"Our demands are known — a 16-percent wage increase as of Feb. 1, which means a gross hourly wage of €4.34, and another 16 percent as of July, which means a gross hourly wage of €5.03," Arhangelski said ahead of Thursday's talks.
The employer, however, has not agreed to these terms, and not do so this time either. Following the meeting, plant managing director Anne Mere said that unfortunately she was not given information regarding how many employees plan to participate in the strike, which would allow for the better rearrangement of work at the plant.
Mere also did not understand why the employees refuse to wait with their wage demands until the second quarter, when the company plans to review its entire wage system.
Editor: Aili Vahtla
