CARMAKER AUDI’S MEXICO UNION WORKERS STRIKE OVER WAGE INCREASE – Last year a 9.4% salary raise was agreed
Union workers at Audi’s Mexico unit went on strike after failing to reach an agreement with the carmaker for a new contract, the company’s union leader said, with the company saying the two sides are far apart on a wage increase.
Approximately 1,000 workers protested outside the Audi plant in the central state of Puebla, shouting, “We are workers, not beggars.”
Audi said the union declined its offer for a 6.5% salary raise and asked for a 15.5% increase. Union leader Cesar Orta did not immediately confirm the figures. The carmaker said in a statement it remained open to dialog, but said a 15.5% increase was “beyond any comparative parameter.”
Last year, the carmaker and the Independent Union of Audi Mexico Workers agreed to a 9.4% salary raise, one of the highest automaker wage hikes in Mexico in recent years. Audi, a unit of Volkswagen VOWG_p.DE, employs 5,000 workers in the plant, according to company data.