Negotiations concerning a new company agreement have been blocked since November 2 at Corus, an Anglo Dutch multinational company specialized in high steel and aluminum products. An agreement is even more pressing, the Dutch unions think, since the group is about to be bought off by the Indian conglomerate Tata. The main cause of disagreement is about an "employment pact" which the management refuses to renew for another five-year period. (Ref. 061123)
This pact, contained in the former agreement, is supposed to protect employees from harsh lay-offs – due to current reorganizations – by redeploying employees within or without the company. “This point is not negotiable” says Jos Duijnhoven, whom the prospect of being bought off by the Tata group makes even more conscious to protect Corus jobs in the Netherlands. The Federation of Dutch unions and Allies (FNV and Bondgenoten) in addition declared that it was “outraged” by the final offer the
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