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17 December, 2008
With less than 18 months in existence, the Latin American trade union network of Belgian-based Solvay has taken important steps in expanding to other employees in the region.
The third meeting of Brazilian Trade Union Network of the chemicals, pharmaceutical, and plastics multinational was held in São Paulo on 1-3 December, with trade union participates coming from Argentina, Belgium, and the European Works Council of the company, as well as from five Brazilian unions. The meeting was also attended by ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda and Chemicals and Rubber Industries Officer Kemal Özkan.
The participants discussed the importance of international trade union networking, especially in the face of the global financial crisis and its possible consequences in the world of work. The precariousness of labor relations, such as outsourcing and subcontracting, and the need to ensure the health and safety of workers in all localities were priorities at the meeting.
"This network has shown a great willingness to grow, adding strength of colleagues from different Latin American plants, so that together we can initiate dialogue with Solvay in order to improve working conditions and the lives of workers,” said Juvenil Youth Nunes da Costa, coordinator of the network.
”I am very happy to take part in such an important initiative, which is becoming a model for workers’ solidarity,” said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. “This network has become a success in a very short period of time, and it is clear that we must unify our efforts to combat common problems."
Among the major decisions taken at the early December meeting was to strengthen the role of representation of the network, along with the role of workers in Solvay’s direction in Brazil; disclosure of the network in Argentina so that further extension can occur in other Mercosur countries; dissemination of the commitments on "Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility," as made by the company to workers in Argentina and Brazil; and drafting a proposal related to a Communication Policy Network.
The next meeting is scheduled to be held in July 2009. The Network of Workers at the Solvay-Brazil Group was created in September 2007, and representation covers the 14 units of the group in the country.