“For many years, workers have been working in a very uncertain working environment and the local management made decisions about working conditions with minimum consultations with workers. We believe that workers have the right to decide about ‘rules of the game’ at our factory, and that is why we initiated a collective bargaining process,” said Miroslav Kysel, Slovakia IKEA Boards trade union president.
The trade union and IKEA’s local management agreed on a wage increase and additional benefits for all the workers. The union is also involved in the assessment of the occupational health and safety conditions and risks in the factory.
“The negotiations were tough, and, of course, we did not get everything we wanted. We are in the beginning of our path, but what is crucial is that we now have our first collective bargaining agreement. We have gained experience in negotiating with the management and built up our negotiations’ team,” concluded Miroslav Kysel, Slovakia IKEA Boards trade union president.