"The Retail Employee Union is pleased with the results of our constructive dialogue with company management. This agreement stipulates more beneficial terms for employees in organising their working hours and receiving social guarantees. Our dialogue will continue, particularly on the topical issue of wages,” said LTDA Chairman Maira Muceniece.
“In addition to existing employee benefits, while developing the new agreement, we agreed on new support initiatives which are important to our employees. This includes more opportunities for flexible working hours, additional benefits during significant life events including the birth of a child or the loss of a loved one, as well as other potential benefits,” said Maxima Latvija Chairman Andris Vilcmeiers.
The agreement applies to all employees at the company, regardless of whether they are union members.
The company signed its first collective work agreement with employees in 2015, two years after the Zolitude disaster of 2013 in which 54 people died when a Maxima store in Rīga collapsed. Court cases relating to it are continuing to this day, and it also forced a comprehensive overhaul of the retail chain's operation in Latvia. It is also the largest private employer in the country, saying it has 8,500 employees.
The Latvian operation is part of the Lithuanian-founded “Maxima Grupe” holding company that is the largest retail store chain and employer in the Baltics. The group employs more than 30,000 employees in five countries – Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Bulgaria.