| Call for solidarity |
Workers trade union of the second largest supermarket chain in Lithuania under attack!
Last year trade union of workers was established in Lithuanian supermarket chain Palink-IKI, which is dominantly owned by German REWE-Beteiligungs-Holding International GmbH, as well as Swiss, Belgian, Italian, French and some offshore capital.
Since the start of the union the company constantly makes attempts to destroy the trade union using the most powerful tool - pushing union leaders out of work.
3 trade union board members were under attack during the first year of union existence. Galina Proskurina - member of the board was kicked out of the work using security force the next day the union was created (just like that!). The next step was a court cases against the other member of the trade union board Oksana Michalevic. The woman faces personal pressure campaign and she is likely to be fired very soon. The Palink company is also targeting the third key person of trade union board - Irina Judina.
The independent trade union creation was a challenge, since it was first trade union in a large supermarket chain in Lithuania. The main motivation for workers to unite was long unpaid extra working hours, hardship in work, precarious work conditions, very low salaries (this was all the case also before the global crisis). The workers are payed about 290 Euro (incl. tax) per month, which is nothing to live for in Lithuania. The financial crisis made hands free for the Palink company managers to fire many a lot of workers and cut almost all extra motivation payments (so the average income diminished by 20-30 per cent). This leads to downfall of motivation to work good.
Palink-IKI owners:
REWE-Beteiligungs-Holding International GmbH - Germany Coop. - Switzerland
Etn. Fr. Colruyt N.V. -Belgium
Unile S.A. - France
CONAD Consorzio Nazionale Dettaglianti Societa Cooperativa - Italy
Baltisches Haus Limited - Isle of Man
Looking forward to your solidarity and help!!! We are hopeful to contact any of the listed international owners of the Palink company and stop the busting of the workers union!
Please join our Facebook group STOP Iki supermarket (owned by ReWe group) attacking Lithuanian trade union. We hope to have as many members as possible to use it as a powerful tool of fighting sweatshop labor.
Trade Union of Palink-IKI Workers/Lithuania
Mobile: +370 686 27 469
E-mail: ikiprofsajunga@gmail.com
Page: www.ikiprofsajunga.lt
