Dear collegues,

An appeal to trade unions, trade union officials, trade union branches and activists for solidarity and support to expose the unlawfull behaviour of the management at the Neusiedler/Mondi bussiness SCP a.s. an Austrian based multinational in the paper industry. Model letter of protest below. socialistworld.net

Appeal for international solidarity

Ruzomberok, 3 February 2005

Factory committee ZOO Papier

at Neusiedler/Mondi bussiness SCP a.s.

Ruzomberok

Slovakia

We represent the members of the ZOO Papier trade union in Ruzomberok, Slovakia. We have built this trade union after management at the Neusiedler factory sacked us for our initiative to launch a petition amongst the workforce demanding a wage increase of 50 SK per hour (Euro 1,25 or £0,8).

We have registered our Trade Union and it has been recognised by the Slovak Ministry of Labour and Social affairs. The management of the Mondi reacted by sacking all those whom it suspected of being involved with ZOO Papier. In total 19 workers have been made redundant in the last 4 months.

According to Slovakian labour law management has to accept new trade unions as a legitimate representative of the workforce once it has been legally registered. The labour law also stipulates that when there are more than one trade union present at a workplace both of them have to agree on a common platform of demands before collective negotiations can start.

The management of Mondi is breaking Slovakian law and possibly international labour law. A further sign of the unrelentless arrogance of the Austrian management at Mondi is that they have taken the founding members of ZOO Papier to court to "protect the good name of their company". They are demanding that the dismissed workers pay SK20 million (£363,000) in damages and publish an apology in three national newspapers.

Thank you for your help,

Jozef Krncan, chairman of ZOO Papier

Jozef Danis, vice-chairman of ZOO Papier

Model letter to Mondi Bussiness paper

To:

Mr Otto Pichler, CEO, Mondi Bussiness paper

[email protected]

tel:+421 44 436 3506

fax: +421 44 4327701

Mr. Veit Sorger, chairman of the supervisory board and president of the Austrian employers federation IV

[email protected]

tel: ++43 1 711350

fax: ++43 1 711 352910

We support the following demands of the workers of ZOO Papier. We will campaign to raise the international awareness about the malpractices of Neusiedler/Mondi Bussiness paper SCP a.s. in Slovakia.

Demands

• the official recognition of ZOO Papier as a legitimate representative of workers in Mondi SCP in Ruzomberok
• the immediate reinstatement of all dismissed workers including the 5 members of the factory committee
• the immediate start of negotiations about our demands on wages and working conditions.

Signed

Please send a copies to [email protected] or [email protected] or fax 00442089888793

You can support ZOO Papier financially by making a contribution to Istrobanka Slovakia, to Zakladna Odborova Organizacia (ZOO) Papier – Account nr 10006-13219052/4900

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