UNI Commerce and Metro Cash & Carry reached agreement
| UNI Commerce Global Union and Metro Cash & Carry have agreed on a normalisation of labour relations in the company's subsidiary in Ukraine. This follows a period of tense labour relations during the last months of 2007, due to the dismissal of Vladimir Demyan, president of the company trade union.
According to the agreement, Mr Demyan will be reinstated in his job. The local union and its federation will on its side drop all charges against the company, and a constructive social dialogue relationship will be built up with the support of UNI Commerce and UNI's Moscow Office. Metro Cash & Carry is the most internationalised part of the German Metro Group, which is Europe's second largest commerce enterprise after Carrefour. The company operates highly successful cash and carry wholesale hypermarkets in a large number of countries in Europe and the outside world. Since many years, UNI Commerce has been engaged in a positive social dialogue with the Metro Cash & Carry management, which has helped resolve many labour relations problems in different countries. This social partnership has also allowed the company and the global union to agree on rules for organising and social dialogue and to give support to the local partners in applying them. Late last year, UNI Commerce Global Union and Metro Cash & Carry agreed on how labour relations can be built up in the company's large subsidiary in the Russian Federation. The Ukraine agreement follows a few months of strained relations between management and union representatives, at the end of last year. After discussions between UNI Commerce Global Union and the Metro Cash & Carry management, a contact was established between the UNI Moscow Office and the Metro Cash & Carry Ukraine human resource management, with a view of seeking a solution to the problems. Further discussions between UNI Commerce and Metro Cash & Carry took place in early January, and subsequently, on 15 January, separate meetings were held in Kiev involving the company, UNI Commerce and the UNI Moscow Office, and the UNI Moscow Office and the trade union federation “Zahist Pracy”. During this process the parties agreed that constructive labour relations and a proper social dialogue is in the interest of both the company end it employees. The Metro representatives confirmed that the company will fully apply the Metro Group’s Principles on Social Partnership. Together with UNI Commerce, the UNI Moscow Office will on its part cooperate closely with Zahist Pracy and the trade union in Metro Cash & Carry Ukraine, to support the development of its social dialogue capacities. To achieve a proper social dialogue and good labour relations, the parties will proceed to draft a protocol which defines the principles which will guide the handling of labour relations and the trade union activities, including organizing. The parties further took note of the company’s decision to cancel the dismissal of Vladimir Demyan, who will be reinstated as employee of Metro Cash & Carry Ukraine and who remains in his position as president of the trade union in Metro Cash & Carry Ukraine. The detailed conditions for the reinstatement will be agreed by the local social partners, consulting the UNI Moscow Office if necessary. “Zahist Pracy” will subsequently withdraw its legal appeal against the dismissal decision and Zahist Pracy and Vladimir Demyan will waive any further rights and claims in connection with the appeal. Negotiations with a view of concluding a collective agreement will commence shortly. |