June 2 (SeeNews) - Some 800 employees of Serbian shoe manufacturer Falc East launched a strike demanding higher wages, local media reported on Friday.
“A few days ago, we gave them until June 1 to fulfill all our demands, namely a 10 percent salary increase, 15,000 dinars ($138/128 euro) in incentives, and an increase in hot meal allowance from 150 to 200 dinars,” media outlet Danas quoted the president of United Trade Unions of Serbia, Uros Savic, as saying.
The company has 1,000 employees, most of whom are paid the minimum wage in the country, according to Savic.
According to the Serbian business registry, Falc East is wholly owned by Italy’s Falc S.P.A. Civitanova Marche. It was established in August 2004 with a capital of 302,438 dinars.
According to the company’s website, Falc East, based in the southern city of Knjazevac, produces 1.2 million pairs of shoes anually, exporting almost all of its output to the U.S., EU, UAE, China and India.
(1 euro = 117.261 dinars)