Relations between the workers committee of the employees of Alon Group's supermarket chain Mega and the chain's management and owners have deteriorated further. The chain's employees are preparing to file personal lawsuits against its directors and are examining the possibility of suing the chain's controlling shareholders.
Eyal Eli, chairman of the Mega workers committee, said, "All those who were around in the past seven years should know that we will seek them out one by one, all the directors and their management decisions. We know what happened at the company and what they did in the company, and we are ready for legal options against them. We are examining the legal status of the workers committee, on what grounds we can sue, and we are holding meetings with prominent law firms."
The deterioration in relations comes in the wake of information received by the workers committee according to which the chain's management plans to close more branches, beyond the ten to which the employees had agreed.
Alon Group CEO Avigdor Kaplan told "Globes" that no decision on the matter had as yet been made. "We are due to hold discussions in the next few days," he said, "We are starting to work on a recovery plan, but it's too early to give any information. I have a single agenda: to safeguard the livelihood of the employees and to restore Mega to health. It's clear to everyone that all the main players affecting Mega - workers, suppliers, those from whom it leases real estate, and the owners - must all lend a hand to revive the chain and put it back on track. If each one waits for the others to help, that will be no use. My goal is to lead them all to common ground. Mega will continue in existence. No-one can afford for it to shut down. There are good employees, a longstanding, functioning system, and the aim is to harness the efforts of everyone."
Is there willingness?
"There is willingness. We still haven't talked to everyone, but the general picture that I see emerging is that there is willingness on all sides to help Mega get out of its difficulties. To go from the level of talk to the practical level it's necessary to reach understandings with very many parties."
Kaplan stresses that "we aren't on the way to a haircut - no-one should mistakenly understand that from what I'm saying - it's possible to help without a haircut."
On the workers' threat to sue the directors, Kaplan says, "There are two approaches: one is to settle past accounts, and the other is to look ahead. I'm looking ahead. All this talk leads nowhere. My aim is only that Mega should emerge from its distress, and for that to happen, we have to look ahead. There is room for learning lessons, but rummaging in history will lead to no result, only rolling up our sleeves."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 2, 2015
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