Our three-year struggle

The Tuš union was founded in May 2021, following legislation passed in Slovenia that restricted shops from working on Sundays. This victory was a result of joint collective actions of the Trade Union of Retail Workers of Slovenia (SDTS) and the Center for social research (Cedra), which emphasized the problem of over-burdened workers in the grocery retail sector as well as the importance of free time and minimum wage efforts. The struggle managed to unite workers of Tuš which were previously unorganized, but strong-willed and determined, into founding the Tuš union within the sectoral SDTS union. At a resounding joint press conference, we presented the results of a workers' poll, which showed supermajority support among employees for the closing of shops on Sundays. Conducting field campaigns all over Slovenia, we managed to collect over 6,000 petition signatures, with Tuš workers among them, and achieved a historic victory to close shops on Sundays. This successful campaign created the necessary conditions to create an active union within Tuš – a company with catastrophic working conditions, violations of existing labor regulations and without an existing union, which was supposedly “forbidden” at Tuš. Following the victory which freed up workers’ time on Sundays, we made contact with all the petition signees and relayed to them that it was now time to organize into a union and continue our struggle.

At the time, the union committee “Red Tuš” (the base body of the union) was formed by just six committee members: Mirjana Janjić (collectively elected as president of the Tuš union), committee member of Tuš Mozirje; Silvia Vidergar, committee member of Tuš Litija; Elvira Halilovič, committee member of Tuš Zagorje; Janko Janžič, committee member of Tuš Slovenska Bistrica; Mateja Toplak, committee member of Tuš Ptuj Puhova; and Aleksija Cigula Simonič, committee member of Tuš Rače. At the time, the union had around 60 members, who were unconnected and unorganized. The workers were unorganized and fearful, and working conditions were unbearable: there was no collective agreement, the workers’ base salary amounted to only 697 EUR, there were no restrictions on transferring workers between branches, there were labor violations and mobbing, and recording of working hours was in disarray – work was performed while workers were officially off duty, performing countless hours of free labor for the company, as preparation for work, meetings and trainings were not counted as working time. While the administration would occasionally meet with the union president and general secretary, the meetings essentially led nowhere as the union was not strong enough to stand behind its demands and put up a fight for them.

Towards the end of 2021, we conducted the first field campaign of visits to Tuš branches across the entirety of Slovenia. The action saw the union president joined by around 20 activists from Cedra as well as by Maruša Gmajner, president of the Lidl union. Field work is crucial for union organizing in the retail sector, as workers are largely unorganized and scattered among various branches all across Slovenia. Through many long drives, we have been visiting remote branches, engaging the workers in conversation, informing them, and most importantly, encouraging them to overcome their fears. However, our work does not end with these visits. We must remain in touch with interested workers, get them to participate on joint lines of communication such as Signal and invite them to regular Zoom meetings. The beginnings, when trust has not yet been established and when hopelessness is the prevailing feeling, are always the most difficult. Despite this, our first campaign acquired worker contacts as well as some new memberships and strengthened the presence of the union on the field. This was only the beginning!

ACTIVITIES IN 2022

There was still a clear sense of fear present among the workers of Tuš. In March 2022, in-depth interview conversations were held with all the committee members to seek out necessary solutions. These interviews are an extension of initial field visits, as we can build a strong bond of trust with the workers (in this case, union committee members) and use in-depth reflections to jointly look for solutions. Working conditions at Tuš had become more and more difficult, while management continued to worsen the situation through constant postponements and by strategically singling out individual workers. The relatively small union membership remained passive, as they did not have sufficient knowledge or experience with what a union actually does and what is expected of its members. We also couldn't get much traction through the Tuš union's Facebook page, as there was a clear difference between passive appeals and concrete actions in which the workers are forced to face the pressure and obstacles of the struggle that might at first seem insurmountable.

At the Red Tuš committee meeting in April, a decision was made to conduct a repeated field campaign. A total of 29 Cedra activists together with Mirjana Janjić managed to visit and process over 50 branches in just two days, resulting in 26 new union memberships and the acquisition of around 45 new contacts, the majority in the Podravska region of Slovenia. Based on the initiative of Mateja Stopinšek from the Planet Tuš Celje branch, who had not been a union member at the time, a decision was made to intensify the action with concrete demands through a petition. Planet Tuš Celje immediately joined in the action, as their workers' aggravation towards management had reached a peak point. Mateja Stopinšek convinced over 30 coworkers to join the union and actively collaborated in gathering petition signatures in the Savinjska region. Towards the end of June, we held our first press conference to inform the workers, customers, and the general public on the working conditions at Tuš, on the collection of signatures and on our specific demands. To make sure the union president was not isolated in her public efforts, the workers of Planet Tuš Celje and Tuš Ptuj Puhova took collective photographs and posted them on the union's Facebook page on the day of the press conference. The response was tremendous – it was the first time the workers had shown their faces on social media. The petition, press conference, and public photographs of support additionally strengthened the union. In less than a month (between June 13th and June 30th), we managed to collect 700 petition signatures, register over 100 new union members, and gain memberships in 35 new branches.

At this point, the Tuš union had gained courage to act, which prompted the sectoral retail union (SDTS) to join and continue with the action in solidarity, strengthening the joint struggle. In August, SDTS held a new press conference, where the presidents of retail store unions collectively stepped in front of media cameras and announced a fight to increase workers’ wages to bring their base salaries above the minimum wage. This led to a strong encouragement from the Tuš central warehouse workers! Over 15 workers sat down for coffee together to discuss union activities. Selman Hodžić proved to be an important organizing leader, registering over 60 coworkers into the union in under two months. In mid-October, a union stand was set up in front of the warehouse to strengthen union activities. A week later on October 28th, following a meeting with the company management who refused to listen to any demands, the first protest in the history of retail in Slovenia was organized. The most active and determined elements of the union – the branches of Planet Tuš Celje, Tuš Rače, Tuš Slovenska Bistrica, warehouse workers and other individuals – stood together, with around 100 workers protesting in front of the Tuš administrative building. There were even more workers who supported the protest from afar while working, by taking collective photos with supportive slogans: “Today I protest, tomorrow I strike”, and “We are with you”. We received support from 12 branches. Even coworkers who had not put themselves in the spotlight beforehand were collectively and publicly calling towards a strike. The actions also yielded a new breakthrough in union memberships, even in places where we could not convince them to join beforehand. Committee member Janko Janžič reported the following when returning to work on the day of the protest: “Phenomenal. The atmosphere among the employees has really improved today.”

On the sectoral level, the actions conducted by this time had achieved the following:

• The minimum base salary as of January 1st 2023 was raised by 36 %, to 950.00 EUR gross. All salaries between the 1st and 4th tariff pay class were raised by the same extent, while salaries between the 5th and 7th tariff pay class were raised by 25 %;
• Travel expenses began to be paid out in December, in the extent of 85 % of available public transport ticket costs. Where public transport was unavailable, mileage travel expenses were paid out;
• Lunch compensation was increased to 6.15 EUR;
• Holiday pay was set to be paid out fully in monetary exchange, in the amount of at least the legally defined minimum wage.

The committee members were now also joining us on the field, as we began to organize a petition TO STRIKE.

In December, the union had 510 members with an additional 1100 strike petition signatures collected, while the committee had 40 committee members, two of which were workers at the central warehouse. Between November 8th and December 16th, 140 new members joined the union as we visited 88 branches (with some being visited twice), and membership was recorded in 87 total branches. We founded a temporary strike committee comprised of 10 members: 8 of them Red Tuš committee members and two members of Cedra: Branka, Mateja S., Aleksija, Andraž, Ljiljana, Mirjana, Martin, Nika, Selman, and Tina. The following were present at negotiations with the company management: Mateja Stopinšek, Selman Hodžić, Aleksija Cigula Simonič, Branka Šrok, Mirjana Janjić, Andraž Mali, Ladi Rožič, and Mojca Stropnik. On December 16th, a meeting with management was called, as the company began to realize that we were about to announce a strike. While the strike of December 2022 was not officially announced, two meetings with management yielded the following achievements:

• The minimum base salary of saleswomen was raised from 697.60 EUR to 1060.00 EUR across the Tuš company;
• Worker transfers between branches were limited to branches at a maximum distance of 50 km from the worker's place of residence and compensation for working at another branch was achieved (on the sectoral level, the maximum distance limit remained 80 km);
• Records of working hours were arranged, ensuring that every minute at the workplace, including trainings, meetings, and preparation are accounted for, which has an effect of up to 30 to 60 minutes per day. Additionally, we achieved a consistent accounting of preparation for work and finalizing of work into the working time;
• Travel expenses: achieved coverage in the amount 85 % of available public transport ticket costs as well as mileage pay for coming to work in the amount of 0.17 EUR/km in the case of working on Saturdays or when returning to work during the time when inventories are carried out. In the case that public transport is unavailable, provisions of the collective agreement are to be observed and mileage is to be paid out.

The agreement entered into force on January 1st 2023. However, we were aware at the time that while anything can be written on paper, working conditions in practice are different.

The tremendously executed campaign and strike preparations – which included over 500 workers, 40 committee members as well as their family members, friends, the public and supporting organizations, and customers – led to the formation of the new Committee for the Common Good of the Tuš union. The Committee was created with the goal of emancipation of women both in the workplace and in society as a whole. The well-being of a female worker does not depend only on working conditions, but also on the availability and quality of public services. Female workers are exploited both in the workplace as well as in the household, where they perform a large share of unpaid domestic and caregiving work, which society does not perceive as labor at all. The purpose of the Committee for the Common Good is to research and analyze what labor organizing actions can achieve not only in the workplace, but also more broadly in working households and in society. During the months-long research, we conducted 11 interviews with the most determined committee members. The goal is to establish an awareness of the need to fight for accessible and high-quality public services such as healthcare, education, and long-term care, which collectivize domestic labor and unburden the working class.

The achievements of the Committee for the Common Good, coordinated by union trustee Ljiljana Jovanović, have been the following:

• Conducting interviews with 11 union committee members and performing analysis;
• Preparing a Facebook campaign during March 8th and May 1st (in the years 2023 and 2024) related to workloads and household labor to educate the workforce and the public;
• Holding a meeting in Vransko in 2023 with a prepared work plan and a plan for the campaign “I don't work for 3”;
• Preparing the groundwork and later the execution of the “I don't work for 3” campaign, which resonated widely across the entire sector;
• The coordinator's speech during the 2024 May 1st protest in Ljubljana.

ACTIVITIES IN 2023 – A HISTORIC STRIKE ANNOUNCEMENT

Even before the new year had started, company management already broke the union membership in the central warehouse. By dismissing four workers who accepted severance pay and the termination of Selman Hodžić, a prominent organizer and committee member as part of the central warehouse, management indicated that consequences would be severe. The warehouse union fell in roughly three months. Mistrust and arguments among workers had already been strategically built up after the protest in October 2022. By firing the most influential and visible workers, management could rapidly spread misinformation and stoke fear into union members, who no longer wanted to expose themselves. To neutralize the warehouse union members and their determination, the company completely reorganized the warehouse department by outsourcing certain departments and replacing regular employees with temporary agency workers or outsourced workers.

The company also began to delay the practical implementation of the changes which were achieved in the previous year. In March 2023, there were still no clear instructions regarding the recording and accounting of working hours. The majority of branches were performing work in the same way as before the protests, and dissatisfaction grew again. Despite multiple letters, management deliberately delayed implementing any improvements in order to chip away at the union's unity. In May, we reached and signed a contract agreement between the union and management, giving us the possibility to use the bulletin notice board of each branch for union purposes, as well as counting the union work hours of union trustees (Mirjana Janjić, Mateja Stopinšek in Aleksija Cigula Simonič) towards their working hours. This was achieved by the union being representative, as more than 10 % of all employees were union members.

At the beginning of 2023, we lost a number of members, and it also turned out that many are still not actively involved enough in union activities and in making joint decisions. The management successfully broke the central warehouse union membership, while new meetings did not bring the desired effects, only promises and long delays. The trust between committee members and union trustees also began to weaken, with signs of exhaustion across the union. Management ignored any appeals about a collective agreement on the company level, nor did they want to hear anything about solving issues related to temporary agency workers, wage and holiday pay increases, and the return of compensations which were unilaterally taken away at the beginning of the year following our negotiations.

In August, Slovenia was struck by severe floods, causing devastating infrastructural and economic damage. As the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce went on an offensive and tried to take advantage of the floods to re-open shops on Sundays, we quickly responded by mobilizing retail unions: on August 10th, a Zoom meeting was held with over 30 workers in attendance, with representatives of unions from Tuš, Spar, and IKEA, as well as members of Cedra and the general secretary of SDTS. At the meeting, we clearly stated for the first time that we will not only defend closed shops on Sundays, but also demand shorter working hours on Saturdays with increased wages. We actively stood for solidarity among the people rather than the profits of capital at the expense of the working class and nature.

At the time, we were also informed about the upcoming sale of the Engrotuš company, which management had kept under wraps, meaning that we learned about it later from the media. Union membership became slightly mistrustful of the union, with skepticism of the union leadership not having any information about an upcoming sale despite monthly meetings with management. Many workers began to worry about the future, patience was dwindling, and conflicts were becoming more frequent, which appealed to management. Doubts were also forming with regards to the strength of the union membership and how much the union could achieve.

On November 25th, we decided to take matters into our own hands by visiting the workers and launching a campaign with the slogan: “Whether green or red, our union star remains bright!”. In just five days, together with activists from Cedra, we visited 45 branches, combining the collection of signatures on the collective demands with registering new union members. A total of 58 new members joined during the action, coming from the regions of Primorska, Zasavska, and Pomurska as well as from the cities of Celje, Kočevje, and Ljubljana. We also gained 6 new committee members. The campaign resonated across the sector and influenced the sectoral retail union to decide on launching a petition for raising wages on the sectoral level.

At a meeting on December 7th, the union trustees made it clear to the management that the workers are ready to stand behind their demands and that new preparations for a strike are underway. We held three press conferences in December, conducted visits to over 50 branches, as well as continued the “I don't work for 3” campaign. Management insisted on its position, but so did the union trustees and the workers behind them, coordinating their work through regular weekly all-union meetings. This forced the management to raise the base salary in every negotiation meeting: on December 19th, they offered 1100 EUR gross with a 50 EUR bonus for the systematized positions of shift manager and department manager (for three months). They offered to equalize the base salary with the minimum wage after three years and a base salary of 1120 EUR gross on December 21st. Meanwhile, we had spent the time preparing to strike, as it was clear management was using the negotiations purely as a stalling tactic.

The last two weeks of December were extremely exhausting for the Red Tuš committee members and union trustees. Heavy pressure was coming from all sides, which was compounded by heavy workloads during the holiday season. Nevertheless, we managed to mobilize over 40 branches to prepare for a strike, at one point having over 70 branches ready to strike, making this the first time in the history of retail in Slovenia that a retail shop union had announced a strike. It must be noted that we had no practical experience in organizing a strike within a company with over 120 business branches, and that strike instructions had to be adjusted several times. Together with the workers and SDTS, we nevertheless managed to formulate a set of instructions and tactics for the strike. The strike announcement was preceded by a relatively brief mobilization, which had a strong effect both on the union and the wider public. The mobilization expanded our union network to new branches, gathering additional new members and committee members. External effects were also extremely powerful, as the announcement of a strike – in an otherwise very calm environment of labor relations in Slovenia – garnered a great deal of support from the public, from comrades in other organizations and from fellow unions. The entirety of Slovenia supported the Tuš union and its workers in their struggle – not only for a higher salary, but because nobody should earn a BASE SALARY LOWER THAN THE MINIMUM WAGE.

However, in the end, there was no strike. Just before the final bell (only a few hours before the start of the next working morning), management made its final offer, which the union accepted after a long and heated debate. This offer was preceded by an entire day of extreme pressures and threats towards the workers in various branches, which managed to break some of the collectives in their willingness to strike. An analysis of the strike cancellation has made the following findings. There was substantial disappointment among the workers as a result of the cancellation. An even greater level of dissatisfaction, at least in the first few days following the cancellation, was because during mobilization, the workers had managed to expand beyond narrow economic goals (salary increases, which remains their most important goal) and decided to send an elementary political message of resistance to the management – to put it bluntly, they were no longer willing to allow themselves to be treated like a doormat. Despite this, interviews show that the workers defend the decision to call off the strike by arguing that there were not enough striking workers (this was also shown by a worker poll). More precisely, workers who were the most engaged and active during the strike efforts saw the disintegration of the collective as the main reason for canceling the strike. On the other hand, less engaged and active workers have attributed the failed strike to the union and many are of the opinion that the decision was made undemocratically. Still, at least among the more engaged workers, there has not been a significant drop-off in mobilization potential. On the contrary: the outcomes seem to indicate that workers see the union as a bond of the proletariat collective, the success of which depends on themselves, which seems to be a good indicator for future mobilizations.

Interview analysis clearly showed that pressures and bullying, which was conducted by company management, regional managers and branch managers, was a systematically and centrally managed operation with the main goal of atomizing the workers’ collective. While company-wide emails by the company director and by owner Mirko Tuš did not cause significant damage, branch managers used deliberate atomization tactics and singled out workers by going after the weakest link, which was successful in certain branches. This at times had a domino effect and caused the other workers to step away from the strike and broke the workers’ collective. During these tactics, branch managers often focused on workers in poor socioeconomic conditions, particularly those working on non-standard forms of employment, foreign citizens, etc. On the other hand, some of the more conscious and active workers made successful interventions to prevent these maneuvers by lower management and maintained the collective’s strong will to strike. From subsequent interviews, it is clear that some branches saw intense struggles between the workers and lower management. It is difficult to identify the exact factors that might decide the success or failure of a workers’ collective in their struggle with management on the branch level, however the outcomes of these actions, which increased the capacity of the union to post messages on branch notice boards, have shown to be a strong indicator of the power relations inside a branch.

The analysis suggests that struggles within branches may be decided by the capability of branch managers to put pressure on a few workers and discourage them from striking, which can affect the majority of the collective. It seems that a similar logic can be applied to the mobilization process on the company level. The announcement and subsequent cancellation of the strike at Tuš brought powerful and invaluable experiences, newly acquired knowledge, as well as the political growth of the union, its members and committee members for future struggles.

The campaign taught us the following lessons:

1. A strike is an essential tool which we, as organized workers, can use to force those who exploit us to take action in favor of the working class and not capital. A strike is NOT an extreme tool! The only extreme situation is the exploitation we face and consequently, our livelihood.
2. We will never have the support of ALL members or workers for a campaign or a strike! Some of them will join along the way. Somewhere a few workers get discouraged, while somewhere else a few are encouraged. We shouldn't pay attention only to our own branch, but instead the collective organization of all of us within the company.
3. In order to achieve our common goals, we need to be very well organized as a trade union:
   • We require active committee members within their branches and warehouses who can represent their colleagues and co-decide at meetings, as well as report problems to the Red Tuš committee and pass on instructions to the workers;
   • It is mandatory for the Tuš union members to be present on the common communication channel via the Signal app, allowing for everyone to be informed, to act in unison and to motivate each other for campaigns;
   • On the regional level, we require regional representatives who can connect branches and committee members and summarize the situation in each region at meetings;
   • Prior to major campaigns or actions, we require an open Zoom meeting for all workers, regardless of union membership, to strengthen our organization and unity.
4. We must strive for inclusive and democratic functioning within the union, with the Red Tuš committee as the uppermost body of the union, composed of committee members from each branch. Field activities are crucial, not only during campaigns or prior to a strike, but also during the rest of the year, as they ensure the union remains visible and present.
5. During branch visits, the trustees, regional representatives, and members of Cedra should cooperate with each other.
6. Petitions, bulletin boards, Zoom meetings, the Signal app as the common communication channel, and the union's Facebook page are essential tools to educate and inform ourselves, as well as remain encouraged and united.
7. Press conferences and media appearances are also a key factor in addressing and informing the public, customers, other organizations and unions as well as workers, whose support is paramount to our success. It is necessary that as many committee members as possible are present at press conferences. Our slogan should be: “Workers for workers!”
8. Our campaign showed that solidarity and workers' struggle are not just empty words. With the entirety of the country behind us, we used our fighting spirit and courage to draw attention not only to extremely poor working conditions in retail, but also the related issues of many workers. We must continue to work on mutual support and assistance.
9. We must strive for all of us who work at Tuš to be employed directly by the company (and not by temporary employment agencies), as it is the only way to reach sufficient unity. We should struggle for the employment of agency workers directly by the Tuš company.
10. In the days before the strike, workers were faced with increased pressure, violations and harassment from their superiors and management. It is in their interest to suppress any actions or strikes, to break our unity, weaken our motivation and instill fear. As various forms of extortion, threats and illegal violations will continue to be used by our superiors as well as management and ownership in these cases, we must be well prepared.
11. Regarding strike procedures and instructions:
    • Instructions must be clear to all workers, particularly regarding logging working hours, uniforms, and break times;
    • Each branch must have at least two people ready to be on strike watch (one for each shift);
    • We do not make any major decisions or changes on the night before the strike – we only solve potential questions, be present on the field, encourage each other and protect against attacks from superiors and management;
    • A plan must be drawn up for the distribution of material such as posters, T-shirts, and leaflets, to make sure it reaches all the branches on time;
    • Strikes must include organized support from activists in front of business branches.

What the strike announcement achieved:

• A raise of the base salary from 1060.00 EUR gross to 1180.00 EUR gross for a salesperson (the minimum wage in Slovenia for 2023 was defined as 1207.53 EUR gross);
• The return of bonuses for shift managers and department managers (50 EUR gross);
• An immediate beginning of negotiations for a collective agreement on the level of the company, with the deadline to start negotiations on January 10th 2024.

The campaign and strike announcement once again reinforced the union. Membership leaped from 340 to 540 members, with 48 committee members as part of the Red Tuš committee. The strike announcement garnered extremely wide-ranging support from the public and from customers. Meanwhile, company management and ownership went on the offensive rather than listen to their workers. This meant that despite the cancellation of the strike, they suffered financial consequences on the same level as they would’ve done if they had taken workers’ demands into account. The power of the joint collective union was underestimated by the management, all the way until the end. Despite the strike being called off, there were no instances of singling out the most active union workers or terminations, as was the case after actions in 2022. The involvement of workers as well as the active engagement of committee members taking care of the flow of information and activation of their branch workers, became stronger. Even with mistakes and a justified disappointment after the calling off of an announced strike, the union remained strong and determined to fight, with the campaign continuing in 2024.

COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT NEGOTIATIONS AT THE COMPANY LEVEL IN 2024

The outstanding mobilization of the workforce and the public during strike activities forced management, after three years, to conduct serious negotiations for a collective agreement in 2024. We began negotiations immediately after the new year. The current campaign has been on-going since December 2023, making the union, including the committee members and negotiation team, rightfully fatigued and wishing for a successful conclusion to the efforts, as well as rest and a joint in-person union meeting. Despite our exhaustion from a turbulent December, we began to draft a collective agreement document immediately after the new year. This agreement was to yield not only economic, but also non-economic gains, emphasizing the importance of stronger regulation and limiting the endless flexibility of workers exploited for capital gain: limiting worker transfers between branches, limiting overtime, limiting unevenly distributed working time, enforcing the right to disconnect, stricter enforcing of health and safety codes, limiting non-standard forms of employment, etc. The starting points of the collective agreement were agreed on jointly with all committee members and sent to management. In accordance with the timeline, adopted rules of procedure for negotiations and formed negotiation teams in January.

Between January and June, along with regular meetings of committee members and union members, intense weekly negotiations took place on Thursdays at the administrative building in Celje. The main negotiating team was represented by Mirjana Janjić, Andraž Mali, Suzana Ačko Bobovec, occasionally Ladi Rožič (general secretary of SDTS), Mojca Stropnik (secretary of the Celje regional unit of the Association of Free Trade Unions of Slovenia – ZSSS), and Renata Potočnik (attorney for ZSSS). Negotiation meetings took place every week for 6 months. During negotiations, a greater emphasis was put on salary demands, while the multitude of issues regarding working time were fading into the background. This was also the case during all-union meetings, where spontaneous interest in higher salaries was shown by its participating members and committee members. Since salaries were very low at Tuš for a number of years, it became a primary goal. However, it is important that in the long run, we address issues of working time, work intensity and amount of employees per shift, both at Tuš and in the retail sector as a whole. For this reason, it is key to increase union strength in other retail chains. Despite the focus on salaries, together with the workers we negotiated what is most likely the best collective agreement in the retail sector in Slovenia, containing a number of innovative and groundbreaking solutions – related to limiting worker transfers, a total restriction of unevenly distributed working time for workers over the age of 55, employing agency workers at the company, paid care-taking leave and paid leave for victims of domestic violence. Certainly, we have built a strong foundation to go forward. The Tuš union, its workers, and workers in retail and beyond, have acquired a new tool in their struggle.

What is a collective agreement?

A collective agreement at the corporate level regulates the obligations, duties and standards of workers in a particular company. It can be agreed to at the sectoral or company level. In Slovenia, a collective agreement is enforced on the level of the retail sector, however it had not been enforced at the Tuš company level. A collective agreement at the level of the Tuš company can only be an improvement upon the sectoral agreement, it cannot worsen the conditions, as it must specify more favorable provisions for workers. Each side has the opportunity to make changes to the collective agreement by providing a list of suggested changes, while the opposition has 30 days to respond. The current arrangement is only the beginning of an essential improvement of working conditions in retail. This is a goal that can be followed only by strengthening union organizing across the entire sector.

What improvements has the collective agreement brought to the workers?

1. An immediate increase in wages of a salesperson to bring them ABOVE the minimum wage as well as a corresponding increase in wages across other positions:
   • Gross salary of a salesperson: June 1st 2024: 1270 EUR; January 1st 2025: 1300 EUR;
   • Each year, the increase in gross salary will occur at the same time as the minimum wage in Slovenia;
   • The base salary will never again be below the minimum wage.
2. Limiting worker transfers to other branches:
   • To a maximum distance of 50 km from the place of residence and a maximum duration of 30 days per year;
   • A stricter limit of 30 km from their place of residence ensured for parents of children up to the first year of primary school.
3. Compensations for workers transferred to other branches:
   • 1-7 days: 50 EUR;
   • 8-15 days: 100 EUR;
   • 16-30 days: 200 EUR.
4. Limitations on precarious and temporary agency work:
   • After a temporary agency worker has spent 5 months working at Tuš, the company has to offer them an employment contract for an indefinite period directly with Tuš.
5. Compensation for training and induction of new employees – will be enforced in accordance with the sectoral collective agreement;
6. Increased ability to balance family and professional obligations:
   • At the union's proposal, the employer will now have to ensure that workers who are parents of children of minor age, are provided easier balancing of family and professional obligations. This applies to using annual leave, ordering and performing overtime or night shift work, and rescheduling working hours.
7. Unevenly distributed working time and overtime:
   • Workers over 55 years of age can only be assigned to work overtime or with unevenly distributed working time if they have consented to it through a written agreement.
8. The right to disconnect: employees may no longer be contacted after the end of their working hours;
9. Additional leave days based on personal circumstances:
   • For taking care of family members in need of caregiving – 6 days of paid absence;
   • For victims of domestic violence – 6 days of paid absence.
10. Compensation based on seniority – will be enforced in accordance with the sectoral collective agreement;
11. Solidarity aid for long-term sick leave; 12 Transportation to work:
    • The worker is compensated 85% of the available public transport ticket;
    • 0.20 EUR for every kilometer driven;
    • For work performed on Saturdays or in the case of returning to work on the same day, the employee is entitled to additional mileage in the amount of 0.19 EUR/km.
12. Lunch compensation: 6.90 EUR;
13. Work health and safety standards:
    • 20 hours allocated for union-based work in the field of health and safety at work;
    • Active monitoring of the implementation of the upcoming regulation on the transferring of heavy loads.
14. Regulation of trade union activity;
15. In September, we will begin negotiations for additional compensation for working on Saturdays, i.e. a new rewarding system from 2025 onward.

Union committee members’ statements after signing the collective agreement:

“The union has achieved a great deal in these three years and I hope it continues to act with this type of determination, even if I happen to leave Tuš. I am very satisfied that during these three years, we found the people that could establish a union. That you all had so much courage to expose yourselves and to address the 30-year-long issues at Tuš. To the workers of Tuš in retail and in the warehouse, I only want to send this message: start thinking about your own position and consider that without a union, we would not have gotten as far as we have. Gather the courage and do not fear the management. For this reason, I am calling on everyone who is not yet a member of the Tuš union, to become a member, so we can win an even higher holiday pay and higher salaries. Keep i mind: all for one, one for all. In the future, we have to struggle against mobbing, for additional workers’ rights, for higher salaries. We cannot allow ourselves to be manipulated by directors and managers. Let us remain fighters. Do not let letters from directors throw us off track.”

“Personally, during my first year of membership, I was not particularly engaged for the work of the union, and I was not as active as today. I was a member, but I wasn’t taking seriously enough the work of the members and others fighting for our common good. The Tuš union has done an incredible job. I think the strongest advancements have happened in the last year – actions were performed very quickly and were also realized. I can say, for myself and in the name of the entire collective, that we fought well and won solid conditions to move forward, however there is still a great deal of work to be done. To everyone who is still hesitant on joining the union, I can only tell you that you have nothing to lose, your situation regarding being protected as a worker can only improve. In the future, I would truly like to obtain another free day in the week aside from Sunday, to stop us from working non-stop Monday to Saturday, as every one of us has a family at home, a life outside of Tuš, and it’s only fair that we have time for our loved ones. Such working schedules have caused the suffering of many families. On the whole, I have to say that we have done an outstanding job, despite all the obstacles set forth by management and even us, who sometimes didn’t mince with words. This is why I support the union. I will continue to participate in the struggle, myself and my entire branch. At this point, I believe we all deserve a substantial rest from all this, to gather the strength for a new struggle.”

“Three years ago, when we established the union, all these challenges and demands which we have now managed to fight for and win, seemed impossible to conquer. But we did it together, as we were a new union without experience, but well organized with the help of Cedra. Without our union, we would still be stuck in place with nothing having changed, it could’ve only gone worse. This is the only way that as a union – which is us, the workers – we can achieve something and we can be heard by management, to struggle and win a better tomorrow. It is obvious that a worker should be satisfied with his or her job, to be able to go to work with a sense of joy, not with a heavy heart. That he or she should live a dignified life instead of suffering and coming back home exhausted, tired, and depressed. This is why it’s sad, that we actually have to fight for higher salaries and better working conditions. That is why I would like to send a message to everyone to join the union, as this is the only way for you to be heard and considered. Only with a union, organzed into a collective of all our workers, we can make changes and prevent the management to treat us in any waay they want. This is the only way.”

Could we have achieved even more?

More can always be achieved. The latest negotiations showed that we need to delve deeper into the reduction of working hours, as well as reducing physical workloads and balancing schedules with the needs of free time and family. Unevenly distributed working time, which is not in line with the European directives, represents a major issue. It is also necessary to limit the reference period for accounting of working hours, and improve the coordination of personal and professional life.

For these reasons, we have already established two working groups, namely the working group for the regulation of working time and the working group for the implementation of the new directive on manual handling of heavy loads. By enforcing the latter, the company will have to take care of the safety and health of the workers and adhere to standards. This should be achieved through measures such as having enough workers on shift and making suitable work equipment (tools and machinery) for heavy load management available to workers. As a union, we will have to join the campaign to enforce the rules together with other retail unions, as well as unions in the caregiving sector, as nurses, caregivers and hospital workers are among those who suffer enormous physical burdens.

Conditions in the retail sector remain difficult: there is a shortage of workers, causing the workers to perform the labor of three people at high intensity. According to the latest data by the Institute for Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (UMAR), profits of retail capital are amongst the highest among all sectors. It is time to start having conversations on reducing working time, particularly on Saturdays, and about strengthening and increasing the capacity of public services which should be of high quality and accessible to the working class. By strengthening other retail unions (Spar, Lidl, Eurospin, IKEA, Hofer, and others), even more success is achievable at the sectoral and national level. It is paramount to establish an active and connected retail workers movement which works in solidarity. Within the Tuš union, we are already laying the groundwork to prepare proposals to improve the recently signed collective agreement at the company level in 2025. Together, we can succeed!

MEDIUM- AND LONG-TERM GOALS FOR THE RETAIL SECTOR – IT IS TIME FOR SOLIDARITY ACROSS THE SECTOR

1. Expansions and replications of the achievements from Tuš to other retail chains:
   • Continued negotiations for Saturday compensation from 2025 onward.
2. Strengthening union organizing across the sector, particularly within companies which do not yet have a collective agreement on the corporate level:
   • Spar, Lidl, Eurospin, IKEA, Hofer.
3. Reduction of working hours and physical workloads:
   • Limiting unevenly distributed working time and overtime in accordance with the European directive on the organization of working time (maximum 48 hours per week);
   • A full working time of 30 hours;
   • Consider the possibility of enacting a 5-day working week instead of 6;
   • Campaign for shortening of shop opening hours on Saturdays leading to increased free time for workers;
   • Monthly rest: at least one entire free weekend;
   • Establishing the “I don't work for 3” campaign in every retail chain.
4. Increased wages:
   • Basic salary for a salesperson working 30 hours: 1500 EUR gross.
5. Limitation and elimination of non-standard forms of employment:
   • Limiting the maximum possible number of workers employed through non-standard forms of employment;
   • Transitioning to a standard full-time and indefinite employment with an indefinite employment contract offer for anyone employed at the company for a time between 3 and 6 months.
6. Implementation of the new regulation on the transfer of heavy loads:
   • Concrete measures.
7. Establishing workers' councils and strengthening the influence of workers on the operation of retail companies;
8. The influence of workers within logistics chains: organizing in warehouses and other logistics elements (carriers);
9. International collaborations and organizing in retail chains (UNI Global, ETUC).