Hungary has developed into a major player in the European automotive industry. As electrification advances, despite some bumps in the road, the Chemical Workers’ Union VDSz and Metalworkers’ Union VASAS are stepping up their efforts to organise workers in new battery factories.

As part of the EU-supported project “Putting Trade Union Power into European Batteries”, industriAll Europe convened the national and local level representatives of VDSz and VASAS in Balatonszemes on 28-30 May to report on progress and to prepare the next steps in organising action.

According to mapping conducted by industriAll Europe with help from its affiliates and research institutes, the main battery companies are based in South Korea (Samsung, SK On and SK Battery Manufacturing) and China (CATL, EVE Power and Sunwoda). Some factories are already in operation, while others are under construction.

VDSz president Tamás Székely reported on the union’s continuing organising campaign, which is supported by communications on social media, the union’s website and TV. The campaign has convinced hundreds of workers at SK to join VDSz and has led to the launch of organising action at CATL. Social dialogue with the management of SK On and wage negotiations have been established.

Péter Kósa, HR director of SK On, described the difficulties related to insecurity in the automotive market which complicates production and workforce planning. He noted that addressing these challenges requires trust, mutual respect and cooperation, and flexibility.

“Trade unions play an important role in helping us understand what kind of problems workers have, then solving them together in a way that can be respected by both parties.”

VASAS vice president Zoltán László drew attention to the challenge of finding a workforce for the expanding factories in both the car and battery industries. He mentioned that SK On had already hired workers from Ukraine and Vietnam and that language barriers could lead to dangerous situations.

Occupational health and safety (OHS) was described as the main challenge in battery factories and therefore an obvious topic for issue-based organising. Hazardous chemicals and materials, dry air and access to drinking water require close cooperation between safety representatives and management to guarantee safe and healthy working conditions. Swedish and Hungarian union experts played a major part in drafting industriAll Europe’s Battery OHS Charter, which provides a useful checklist for union action.

The workshop was part of industriAll Europe’s strategy to support unions on organising the battery industry by providing tools, training and coordination. The focus is on Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and Serbia, but unions in Western European countries with battery investment plans have also been invited to update the union network on investment, organising and collective bargaining news.