Today in Kiev a meeting of the general director of ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih Mauro Longobardo and other representatives of the company's management with the leaders of trade unions working at the enterprise took place. The dialogue was moderated by the Chairman of the Trade Union of Metallurgists and Miners of Ukraine (PMGU) Alexander Ryabko and Executive Director of the Federation of Metallurgists of Ukraine (FMU) Sergey Belenky.
At the initiative of the trade unions, a number of issues were brought up for discussion, and in particular, two key ones: further revision of wages for employees of the enterprise and labor protection.
According to PMGU, in recent years ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih has been ranked 5th to 1st in terms of the average salary among metallurgical enterprises. According to Alexander Ryabko, despite regular salary increases, employees "do not feel this growth." As a result, the trade union leaders believe, there may be a shortage of qualified personnel in the region.
According to the FMU analysis, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih in a number of professions lags behind the average for the metallurgical industry, but in general it moves in accordance with the market and even slightly exceeds its average indicators.
General Director of ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih Mauro Longobardo recalled that, when determining the level of wage increases based on the results of 2020, the company relied on data from the FMU, as well as other studies, macroeconomic indicators and financial indicators of the enterprise.
“We are ready to make a decision on the next wage increase as a result of a productive dialogue with the trade unions. In July we will have an understanding of where the market is heading, there will be new figures from the FMU, a new inflation forecast - and this will become the basis for our common decision, ”Longobardo said.
The most heated discussion concerned the methodology for calculating the average level of wages. The head of the primary organization of the Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine Yuriy Samoilov noted: “It is necessary to jointly decide on the methodology for analyzing wages in the industry.”
The participants in the meeting agreed to start negotiations on the revision of wages at the enterprise, focusing on the dynamics of the market and the equalization of wages in those categories where there are discrepancies. In July, taking into account the new data, the management of ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih and all trade unions plan to reach a new agreement on the revision of salaries this year.
The participants in the dialogue also agreed on the next steps in the field of labor protection. In an effort to achieve full transparency in the reporting of accidents, as well as greater efficiency in fostering a safety culture in the enterprise, the enterprise agreed to cooperate with trade unions in the exchange of information. "After all, trade unions are the first and best assistant to the administration on labor protection issues," Ryabko said.
“No one has yet come up with a better format than social dialogue,” Belenky commented. “Together we can find a way to sustainably develop our industry for a successful future,” concluded Longobardo.
