Electrolux found itself in a spot of bother out in Thailand when workers at one of the Electrolux plants in the region were allegedly detained against their will after a dispute with management at the plant. Then promptly sacked!
Of course this sort of event would be unthinkable in Europe and Electrolux has found itself drawing criticism over the affair. The original dispute took place in January of this year and, as yet, the matter appears to remain unresolved.
Worker’s rights group, GoodElectronics issued the following statement about the matter:
In the past weeks, Swedish union IF Metall has negotiated with Electrolux management to reach a solution for the on-going conflict. Despite IF Metall’s intervention, Electrolux perseveres in its fundamentally unfair approach to the workers, union leaders and union members concerned. The dismissed workers were not taken back, despite an agreement reached between management and the union. They were instead offered a “re-employment” contract which would make them re-enter the plant as new workers, including a 119 day probationary period, and the loss of all built-up seniority benefits. The 8 dismissed union leaders and members have not yet been taken back to their former positions.
In response, a few days ago, Electrolux issued the following statement:
More than half of the 90 employees who were dismissed following illegal strikes in January have been re-employed or applied for re-employment at Electrolux Rayong plant in Thailand.
Following an initiative by the company to send registered letters offering re-employment to all employees who were dismissed on January the 11th, 32 applied by the deadline of 5:00pm on March 22. Another 14 had already been re-employed. The letters guaranteed re-employment in any available position at the same 2013 salary they were receiving before their dismissal, requiring the applicants to follow Thai law and company rules and procedures.
The current number of people employed at the Rayong site is 905.
None of the eight union officials were dismissed but were suspended on full pay. A reconciliation process has been undertaken between the Company and unions and is still being worked through with the assistance of the local office of the Ministry of Labour.
Of course regardless of the rights and wrongs of the debate we here in Europe and especially in the UK struggle to comprehend how a company can act in this way as, if they did so here, they’d be in big trouble with authorities we would think. Quite what the truth of it all is as yet is unclear.
