Ford plant workers, administration reach amicable deal

An indefinite strike that began at Ford Motor Company’s plant in Vsevolzhsk, the Leningrad region, early on Monday was stopped. The plant’s workers and administration signed an addendum to the collective agreement, a trade union member Artyom Yashchenkov told Itar-Tass on Monday. The strike that began at 08:30 Moscow time gathered around 1,500 workers. Later it was suspended as the administration put forward new conditions in response to employees’ demands. At the meeting most workers of the plant agreed to sign an amicable agreement. Under the new agreement employees will be compensated for unused medical insurance. Workers’ wages will be raised in accordance with the inflation rate plus 1 percent as of 2014. Workers fired for medical reasons will get a three-month-salary compensation. The trade union planned to hold the strike from June 24 to July 5, when the production will be closed for a summer break. Workers demanded higher wages, better working conditions, compensations of the harm to health and additional guarantees in case of layoffs. The last round of talks on Sunday lasted 12 hours, but workers and the employer managed to resolve the dispute amicably only on Monday, the company’s trade union said.