Wage Dispute at Audi Supplier Could Escalate into Strike

The employees of Lear Corporation Hungary, the supplier of the Audi factory in Győr (northwestern Hungary), could go on strike in the near future if the wage dispute is not resolved, Munkástanácsok.hu reports.

The Lear Workers’ Union has announced a collective labor dispute, which could be seen as a prelude to strike action. The union took the decision after the failure to reach an agreement at Lear Corporation Hungary Kft. on union demands related to 2025 wage increases at the company’s Győr site.

The trade union of the Audi supplier is calling for a 6 percent increase in basic wages for all employees from January 1, i.e. retroactively, and a lump sum payment of HUF 200,000 (EUR 496) gross for each employee at the Győr site by March 31 this year.

The union will do its utmost to resolve the situation as soon as possible, but if no compromise can be reached, the workers could go on strike in the short term. The support for a walkout is very high in the factory,”

said Zsolt Kozma, vice-president of the National Federation of Workers’ Councils in charge of the competitive sector.

“According to the legislation on strike action and consistent case law, a strike can be initiated if the conciliation procedure in the collective labor dispute on the issue in question has not led to a result within seven days. The existence of an overriding economic and social interest from the point of view of possible legality can be indisputably established from the claims and if there is no collective bargaining agreement on the disputed claims, then – subject to compliance with the legal provisions – a strike can be organized,” Imre Szilárd Szabó, executive vice-president of the Worker’s Councils, told the trade union’s news site.

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