Striking Romanian autoworkers rally, walkout in Bulgaria

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/198058,striking-romanian-autoworkers-rally-walkout-in-bulgaria.html

Posted : Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:40:02 GMT

Bucharest - Striking autoworkers at Renault SA's Romanian plant rallied Thursday to press demands for higher pay, some carrying banners saying "We don't want to be the new slaves."Workers at the plant, which makes budget-priced Dacia cars for Eastern European markets, walked out nearly three weeks ago after wage talks with company managers broke down.

Wages in Romania, a European Union member since last year, are a fraction of Western European levels. Some 5,000 Dacia workers took part in the protest in the industrial city of Pitesti, the Mediafax news agency reported.

In neighbouring Bulgaria, employees of a Czech-owned utility that supplies electricity to the capital, Sofia, walked off their jobs Thursday demanding a 25-per-cent pay hike, news reports said.

CEZ Group, which also powers much of western Bulgaria, said it expects no blackouts because only one-third of its employees are allowed to strike under Bulgarian law.

Pay talks between CEZ and its Bulgarian workers broke down Wednesday with employees saying the company's offer was too low.

Dacia's strikers are backed by Romania's main labour organization, the National Trade Union Bloc (BNS). A Romanian court Wednesday ruled that the walkout was legal, rejecting a company challenge.

FULL story at link.