“A great worker is behind every major brand”

CNM/CUT and UAW representatives are actively participating in the show for the first time and have organised a stand at the event, which takes place between October 24 and November 4.

Under the slogan "a hard worker is behind every major brand", the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the national metalworkers’ confederation affiliated to the trade union central CUT (CNM/CUT) are actively participating in the 27th International Automobile Trade Show in São Paulo.

Workers from the Brazilian auto companies Ford, Scania, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen will be helping in a consumer survey. They will ask five questions about decent work in order to gather consumers’ opinions on this issue. The survey intends to collect data that will help the unions determine whether working conditions at the factories might influence consumer choice.

The most significant aspect of this exercise is that the results will be used by the unions to develop the decent work campaign at assembly plants in Brazil and the rest of the world.

The CNM/CUT, which represents approximately 800,000 metalworkers in the country, has a long history of working with the UAW. CNM/CUT leaders believe that this is an innovative and important initiative for the confederation, which is always present when workers’ rights need defending, said CNM/CUT president, Paulo Cayres.

UAW president, Bob King, said “we made contact with leaders of trade union centrals in Brazil with the objective of forming a global network to work together to promote decent work.”

João Cayres, CNM/CUT general secretary and international relations secretary said “this is an unprecedented initiative that we are taking as part of the international struggle against precarious work, a campaign begun by our international federation, IndustriALL. We must raise the awareness of people buying vehicles throughout the world.”