Hankook raises wages after warning strike by workers

Hankook Tire Magyarország is raising base pay by 13.6% on average, with retroactive effect from January 1, 2019, the local unit of the Korean tire maker told state news agency MTI on Wednesday, in the wake of a two-hour warning strike early in the morning.
Workers at Hankookʼs plant in Dunaújváros (central Hungary) staged a two-hour warning strike over higher pay early Wednesday. Among their demands were an 18% increase in base pay and more bonuses.
Tamás Székely, the head of union association VDSZ, said the strike was called from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. because management was unprepared to make a "meaningful proposal" on wage rises. He added that he could "count on one hand" the number of employees working at the plant during the warning strike.
Later in the day, Hankook announced that in addition to its wage offer, workers would continue to get a standby bonus, performance-based bonus, free commuter bus service and free accommodation in a hostel. The company said it weighed workersʼ opinions, the market situation and the recommendation of the works council when deciding on the pay rise.
Hankook employs more than 3,300 people in Hungary, MTI noted.
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