Parts supply stops
CNH Industrial in trouble due to strike
Monday morning, a small group of employees of the CNH Industrial factory in Antwerp went on strike. Together with the ABVV Metaal trade union, they draw attention to the excessive work pressure. The strike gradually expanded, as a result of which 80 percent of the 800 employees are now on strike. This has major implications for Case IH and New Holland.
In Antwerp, CNH builds parts such as transmissions and rear axles for New Holland, Case IH and Steyr tractors. As the strike enters its fifth day, the British and Austrian factories of the Italian CNH concern are starting to run into problems. As a result, they are partially at a standstill, writes the Antwerp Gazette.
80
procent
Strike spread quickly
The strike started on Monday evening, when about 60 employees of the logistics department went on strike. Slowly this phenomenon spread over the entire factory. The workers receive support from the trade unions ABVV-Metaal and ACV Metea. According to them, the workload in the factory is too high. More employees are required, but management is not planning to deploy them. Wrong materials are also ordered and those orders are made too late.
On Wednesday, the management sent a bailiff to the workers. A management proposal to suspend the strike has been rejected. The unions and management no longer talk to each other. The management tried to hire additional staff to man the logistics department. This thwarted the strikers, with the result that the management took up the work itself. Without much success.
Strike will take a while
The strike is expected to last for a while, because negotiations are no longer taking place. The plants in Basildon, England, and Sankt Valentin, Austria, are partly down due to a lack of parts.
Six months ago there was also a strike because of the excessive work pressure. Then the strike lasted only a few hours. The management deployed extra employees, but they disappeared after one week.
Niels van der Boom
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