Amsterdam — Paints and coatings maker Akzo Nobel's largest Dutch plant was operating at 40% of capacity on Tuesday, as workers began a 48-hour strike for better pay and higher pensions, a spokesman for the company said. About 10% of the 1,200 workers at Akzo Nobel's factory in Sassenheim joined the strike, the spokesman said, in a conflict that is focused mainly on the unions′ demand that Akzo injects an extra €400m in its pension fund. Unions also demand a 3.5% pay rise. So far, Akzo has offered to increase wages, but has denied any demand for extra contributions to the pension fund. Work stoppages were also causing a smaller Dutch factory to run at half its capacity on Tuesday, Akzo said, and were expected to hit production at a third plant on Thursday. The company said it was too early to estimate the costs of the strikes. Akzo Nobel earlier this year sold its Specialty Chemicals division for €10bn to Carlyle Group, after it fended off an unwanted takeover offer from US riva...
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