Workers at Lithuania’s nitrogen fertilizer and chemicals producer AB Achema went on an indefinite strike on Feb. 8, after company management rejected a collective agreement, according to the website of the European Public Service Union (EPSU).
According to EPSU, about 600 people, or almost half of Achema’s workforce, were expected to take part in the strike action. It is the first strike in the private sector in 30 years in Lithuania.
Achema CEO Ramūnas Miliauskas, as cited by a news report by Lithuanian national radio and television broadcaster, Lrt, said the company was not planning to close down the production plants at Jonova in central Lithuania during the strike, but conceded if the company has to halt production, “it would be done safely.”
According to the report, Achema said earlier that it had increased the wage bill for 2021, created an additional bonus fund, and promised a 3.5 percent pay raise for production staff, according to the report.
Achema in October was forced to cut its production due to high natural gas prices. After the annual repairs, carried out in summer, one of the two ammonia plants was not restarted.