Dear Colleagues,
On February 22, 2020, the OÚP membership meeting was held with the participation of 70 members. On this meeting was unanimous voted the continouation in the collective bargaining, in accordance with the applicable collective bargaining laws.
On OÚP is binding the document with a proposal of KV, which is a common work of all the parties and what has been signed by all the chairmens of the organizations with the attended of all members of the negotiating teams. This document is binding on us and other labour unions as well as when a citizen arranges a mortgage and must accept the individual paragraphs and provisions of this agreement. It is not any option for the parties to violate any provisions and the signed concept. If you would do it at the bank, you would have many problems and you would be perceived as unreliable partners. Therefore, you behave decently and fulfill the conditions of agreement, contract. Likewise, we perceive an agreement, contract of KV, and therefore we respect it and adhere to the points of the agreement. It is a binding document for us and we expect the same attitude from partners, KOVO and ASO.
As a first point, we would like to introduce so-called sick days off for all employees in the tariff class. In the company one group of employees already uses one extra benefit – home office (work from home, 25 days a year). Benefit, which is nowadays common in companies, as well as sick days. Where is this benefit used?
For example here:
- Toyota England: 10 days with 100% reimbursement, 5 days after call notification (can be combined as a whole), another 5 days with a doctor’s confirmation, 100% paid by Toyota
- Toyota Tsusho Ovčáry: 5 days for all employees, can be used also for half shifts, can be arranged in advance
- Toyota BT Service: 5 days, all employees
- Philip Morris (“Tobacco” KH): 5 days after call notification
- Lidl Czech Republic: 3 days
- ACR: 5 days, used after phone call, can be arranged in advance
What is the reason that our company does not want this standard benefit in Toyota and other companies in the Czech Republic for one group of employees? It has already had 25 days of home office approval for special “group” of employees and has nothing to do with the employees, who work hard in the production – just overtime and fulfillment of the plans. This point is in the common KS proposal, but is currently not supported by KOVO and ASO partners. The KOVO and ASO labour unions have again demonstrated how much they fighting for the demands of employees and, above all, the common proposal of collective agreement.
We also have wage increases. In the proposal OO is currently 10% to the tariff, and why? Perhaps because inflation is currently around 3% with an increasing trend. Which you may have seen during family shopping, paying for energy and family free time activities, and there is nothing to be expected of in the future. If the company wants to increase our wages by about 7%, so it is in real terms only 4%, the other so-called increase will “eaten” by inflation and then on the families´ bank accounts remain only about 4%, in fact. If you count on the 10%, proposed by the unions, you will have about 7% for your family, which is not any jackpot, as well, unfortunately.
Why “unfortunately”? Perhaps because in other Toyota factories, such as England, they earn three times of our wage, for the same work, using the same technology and the same Toyota STD. Where employees can spent 10 days of sick days, where employees buy cars at the same prices as we do, where a shopping basket of groceries, drugstore, clothes is at the same prices as in Kolín. The company publishes pamphlets called “Company Situation” where it compares everything comparable, but somehow it still forgets to compare wages for our work at Toyota’s parent companies. Is it intention or omission? Does any of the employees understand why the company management, including the executive, does not value our employees, why they think about them as cheap slaves, why are they just ID numbers, why do they not value them for the same work as in their homeland?
What does the company offer us? It gives a bundle of money, 100 million. And if we give up and will not want a mediator and do not use all the legal possibilities of the unions (like KOVO and ASO), it will be 110 miles. Do you remember what was the agreed wage increase in the previous collective bargaining? The current TPCA offer is basically the same as in 2019, so the stagnation of wage increases and the outlook equalization of differences within Toyota companies are out of sight. In the Czech Republic, slaves will be hooking up for a third of Toyota’s wages.
It is very sad that the current offer of the company is acceptable for the established labour unions, despite the joint proposal of all trade unions. KOVO has already issued a public statement that it accepts the TPCA offer, and we have heard it from ASO representatives, too. Unfortunately, just now representatives of ASO and KOVO have found that only thanks to regular attendance at collective bargaining the better conditions can not be achieved. It is necessary to fight, to fight by all legal ways. These are the amounts from the last meeting of the KV, and if they are no longer valid, it is a negotiation without the OÚP, which we would not be surprised.
How about wage comparisons in Lidl? Work incomparable, Lidl employees work in a clean environment in air-conditioned areas, do clean work and, most importantly, work at a free pace. What about TPCA? Work in dirt, dust, heat and winter, mainly at a “forced pace”. When we compare a walking employee from TPCA and Lidl, you know the “our” right away, which is unmistakable.
Starting salary in Lidl since March is 28,571, – and in TPCA 26,070, – and after three years salary in Lidl makes 32,000, – and in TPCA maybe 27,820, – And if you would like to work in Lidl in Prague, which is 30 minutes by train from Kolín, the starting wage will rise to 30 857, – and after three years reaches up to 34 286, – Yes, in TPCA we still have a Z-account, so the first year in TPCA 2.000, – CZK 28.070, – and after three years 29.570. So, you still want to work under the roof of the TPCA? In addition, in Lidl you get 3 days of sick days and meal vouchers 100 CZK. Similarly, Lidl will increase wages in its logistics centers in Brandýs nad Labem, Cerhovice, Měřín and Olomouc. The starting wage at the basic position of a full-time employee will be increased from the current 36.000, – to 37.333, – and after three years will reach 41.333, -.
Here, they really value employees and do everything they can to keep their employees happy. And most importantly: TPCA works in the “FORGED TEMP”!
Let us briefly say, that the average gross wage of a Škoda Auto employee, remunerated on the basis of tariffs, is over CZK 51,000. During last year’s collective bargaining, this company agreed to increase tariff wages by CZK 2,500.
What about our labour unions KOVO and ASO? How do they approach the benefits of indisposition time off? They argue that this is not possible under TPCA conditions. But if it’s possible in other Toyotas, where is the problem? Maybe here:
The partial release of the chairmen of the OO KOVO and the ASO brought above-standard benefits to these officials. When the chairman of the OO ASO asked about home office 25 days per year, which was not in the release parameters, he was of course satisfied, which is a beautiful 25 days per year, above legal days off – working from home for ASO. Of course chairman KOVO immediately reached for it, too, and also enjoyed working from home. Let´s wish this benefit, but I would expect, from morally point of view, to want to negotiate something similar for their members. For example, 5 days’ time off for contract employees. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. They do not solve such a benefits for their members, but they draw this extra benefit for their personal comfort. As part of their release, every Wednesday is free to work for OO, ie they do not need to work hard on the production line, which suits them. Colleagues work for them and they take their next time off. How is it possible that they do not want any benefit for their members, but for themselves they draw benefit by benefit? Maybe the company could stop them and compare them to the conditions as chairman of the District Labor Office – no extra benefits. Neither the chairmen of KOVO and ASO have the character to reject this corrupt environment. The KOVO and ASO labour unions have again shown how good they fight for the demands of employees.
We also have meal vouchers for employees working outside production days. We require their increase to CZK 120 (from CZK 80).
Tax optimal value of meal voucher for years
2017: 109,45Kč | 2018: 118,36Kč | 2019: 123Kč.
And what is the situation in TPCA? Currently 85CZK (and until 2017 for 55CZK). So again, TPCA skimps on its staff as much as possible. No respect for people who work in non-standard times. Most of all, they live in prosperity and well-being when others work in our company. What about KOVO and ASO? In the collective bargaining process they have come up with an amazing suggestion. Food vending machines with a food durability of 26 days, just a miracle! And who came up with it, of course, that our lady – chairman OO KOVO, who is not experiencing this situation. She cooks for herselves during weekends and she suggest us these “26 days” delicacies. If it was like creating a business competition for Aramark, we welcome it, it is absolutely okay, but if these delicacies are to have employees to eat outside the production days, so thank Mrs. Chairman. Buy this delicatessen and take it home, it will certainly help you Mng from 602, it will delight your wives not to cook or go to lunch at restaurants. Thank you, we do not want that, we ask for meal vouchers for 120CZK, we provide food for us on our own. The KOVO and ASO labour unions have again shown how good they fight for the demands of employees.
The OO proposal has many other points that we want to solve – as a double view of the company on 55+ workers, as on the text of the KS, which mandates things that limit the work and flexibility of the labour union, etc.
Established labour unions intimidate employees and put themselves in the role of savers of wage increases. They say, that the company would not have to increase wages from January 1, 2020. We asked this several times and the company clearly declared that the amount of money has and there is no reason not to pay, which reflects in its offer wage increases for each month of the year. Can you imagine that the company will be looking for about 1,100 employees, and would make a injustice for current employees and not pay the money offered to wages? How could it improve its reputation, after its damaged? The fact that the company has not yet paid the amount offered is only its psychological pressure on the OÚP and its employees. Unfortunately, good servants are made by members of the negotiating teams of established labour union organizations who, even in the recent past, have frightened recession workers in the company and even talked about layoffs.
Dear, this company will expand as never before. There will be no redundancies here, they will be looking for employees around the world and I dare to say that fear will not allow to do things, what scare OO KOVO and ASO with.
The OÚP will continue to negotiate and defend the rights of employees, when other labour unions have failed, because the common proposal was not created and signed by all for nothing.
Yours sincerely, Petr Bíba