AGET Heracles announces that the Halkis plant is coercively out of operation as a result of actions of the board of the union and employees of the plant, who have obstructed necessary repairs works, an action that has led to the stoppage of the production and the creation of serious safety problems.
The company decided to put all Halkis plant employees on paid leave.
Following the instructions of the union board of the plant, employees have refused to perform the necessary works to restore the production equipment of the plant and furthermore obstructed illegally the undertaking of its repairs even by external contractor, putting at risk the safety of their colleagues. The continuous tactic of the board of the union has as a result the obstruction of the smooth operation of the plant, and, as a consequence, the endangering of the production process and the obsolescence of the plant''s equipment.
AGET Heracles, prior to the latest unpleasant developments, had repeatedly expressed its intention to develop Halkis plant. For the achievement of this objective important investments and organisational changes are required. The company has already materialised investments of tens of millions of Euros in the past few years, while for 2007 the company had scheduled investments of 16 millions of Euros.
AGET Heracles exhausted each margin of dialogue with the board of the union with regard to the necessary organisational changes, ensuring explicitly that it was under the Company''s intention to lay off none of the workers as well as to affect any labour right. Nevertheless, either due to expediency or due to irresponsibility of the board of the union, unfortunately there was not any reciprocation.
Safety at work and protection of the environment are basic principles for which the company has committed. The company realizing its responsibility towards the employees and the local community, considers that the proper operation of the plant and its organization, according to the Company''s standards, was and is non negotiable.