The labour conflict at the Rayong plant of Electrolux in Thailand has not yet been resolved, despite intervention by Swedish union IF Metall. Letters by the GoodElectronics Network and GoodElectronics Thailand (GET) to the Swedish company have gone unanswered. Electrolux is not keeping its promises with regard to the reinstatement of dismissed workers and is putting off conciliation with the concerned union leaders and union members. A process of collective bargaining in good faith is still far off.
On 22 January, on 19 February, and again on 22 March 2013, GoodElectronics Thailand (GET) contacted Electrolux to express grave concerns about the way the Swedish company is handling the labour conflict at the Electrolux Thailand Rayong Plant. So far, GoodElectronics Thailand did not get proper responses to its communications. The GoodElectronics Network has alo written to Electrolux, in support of GoodElectronics Thailand, on 20 February 2013 and again on 28 March. So, far these letters have gone unanswered.
Despite the intervention by IF Metall in the past weeks, Electrolux seems to persevere in its fundamentally unfair approach to the workers, union leaders and union members concerned. The dismissed workers were not taken back on as agreed. 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. This is not acceptable.
It is essential that the 8 union leaders and members are taken back to their former positions without any preconditions.
Moreover, Electrolux should enter upon a process of collective bargaining in good faith.
On the picture: protesting Electrolux workers camping outside the office of the Prime Minister at Government House, Bangkok, January 2013.
