Hungarian workers train guest workers then get fired from Hungarian factory? – UPDATE

Hungarian workers at Continental’s Makó factory face dismissal following the training of guest workers.

The German rubber company Continental’s Makó plant is trying to make room for foreign workers by dismissing domestic workers, according to the local labour union.

The union condemns the lack of communication from factory management, with local secretary Roland Hajdú highlighting to Népszava that the layoff extent and details were undisclosed, though legally not obligated. Approximately 25 workers each in November and December will be laid off, yet this move doesn’t qualify as a collective redundancy.

ContiTech Fluid Automotive Hungária Ltd. in Makó does not produce car tyres but focuses on car parts, employing nearly 1800 individuals. Surprisingly, employees only learned of their dismissals through the media.

Only Hungarians were laid off

The reasons behind their dismissals are not known, but it is striking that only Hungarian workers were made redundant to their knowledge. Rumours are circulating in the factory that the dismissal of Hungarians could open the door to foreign workers. Currently, there are some 150 Indonesian workers working at the factory.

According to the union, the local management seeks to heighten worker vulnerability, especially for those far from home, making it challenging to assert their interests.

“For example, due to the increase in orders in 2022, we have hired more than 500 people in Makó during this period. But now, due to the deterioration of the market and the backlog of orders, we have to take steps to ensure that our business remains sustainable and our employees are affected as little as possible. It is on the basis of these principles that we have taken the decision to make the aforementioned redundancies, which we have communicated to local stakeholders in accordance with the law. The current move will largely affect temporary agency workers and will be implemented by the end of 2023,” Continental’s management wrote.

Hajdú emphasises that many of the fifty dismissed workers had dedicated two decades to the Makó factory, with some even responsible for training Indonesian workers just six months prior.

UPDATE from Continental

We received the following statement from Continental on the matter:

“We would like to draw your attention to the fact that the recent article on your website about the Continental factory in Makó, following the statement of Roland Hajdú, Secretary of the Makó Rubber Industry Trade Union (Makói Gumiipari Szakszervezet), contains a number of deliberately untrue statements and out-of-context information. Unfortunately, the Makói Rubber Industry Trade Union regularly attacks our company with similarly malicious, deliberately untrue and twisted statements.

In response to the article referred to, we are taking legal action against the union, in this case against its secretary Roland Hajdú, and we are making the following statement to your newspaper.