The strike by IKEA workers continued for the third consecutive day on Saturday. The two-hour work stoppage between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. affected all three Hungarian stores, said retail workers union leader Zoltán Karsai.

He said 112 employees at the Soroksár store, 57 at Budaörs and 43 at the Örs vezér tér store took part in the strike.

At Soroksár, 70-80% of employees joined the action, including workers from the on-site logistics centre.

IKEA asked management to step in and student workers were hired to replace striking workers, Karsai added.

The union is seeking a 6% wage increase, excluding management. Wages were not adjusted for inflation over the past four years, and performance-based remuneration widened wage gaps, even as the retailer raised salaries by 5.3% in the spring.

Management said it cannot meet the demands of unions in the current business year ending August without risking business stability, according to Karsai.

In their statement released on Thursday, management said the company had invested Ft 580 million in wage hikes this year and more than Ft 1.5 billion over the past three years.

The union is also asking IKEA to introduce pay transparency, establish annual wage negotiations, develop a new remuneration system and launch talks on a collective agreement.

Management signalled readiness to accept these demands, according to the union leader.

Karsai, however, did not rule out that the unions will call for a full-day strike or get more employees involved in the work stoppage if their wage demands are not met.

Photo: Video screenshot

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881.

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