Unionists of "Samsung Oţelinox" Târgovişte want to sue the company

The Free Independent Union (S.L.I.) "Oţelinox" intends to sue the company "Samsung Oţelinox" Târgovişte this month, the members of the union announced in a press release. Last week, unionists protested by wearing white armbands, due to "the management"s refusal to issue the performance bonus stipulated in the Collective Labor Contract applicable to the company, a contract which is valid until September 2012", the announcement by the SLI states.

The unionists claim that, according to the Collective Labor Contract, the employees of "Samsung Oţelinox" are entitled to "two wage bonuses - one amounting to 60% of the wage of every employee, plus the permanent benefits, which are awarded on the seventh month of every year, and the second one amounting to 75% and 85% of the wage of every employee, plus the permanent benefits, which are awarded in the month of February of the following year, for the company"s annual performance".

The unionists say that, "based on the figures presented by the company"s financial statements and on the trial balance for the month of June, the company had a profit exceeding 2.1 million lei, even though (...) the company"s management officially notified SLI "Oţelinox", that (...) the company had incurred financial losses", and therefore the bonuses mentioned above could no longer be awarded.

In turn, the management claims that the aforementioned bonuses are not included in the Collective Labor Contract and that the company did not post a profit in the first semester. As a result, Valeri Hamza, the representative of the human resources department of the company, said: "We have complied with the collective labor contract, which has no provisions about a performance bonus to be paid out at the end of the first semester, and even if it did the requirements for its award would not be met, since the company did not post a profit after the first six months".