16 May, 2011Metalworkers at Volkswagen have been on strike for more than a week for a bigger share of company profits. The strike is affecting 20,000 workers.
BRAZIL. Workers at Volkswagen's Sao José dos Pinhais plant remain on strike since May 5, 2011 because the company has not presented a proposal on profit-sharing for 2011 since the strike began.
The workers union, the Greater Curitiba Metalworkers Union, affiliated to the CNTM/FS national metalworkers' federation, an IMF affiliate, is asking for R$ 12,000 (US$ 7,340) in two instalments, R$ 6,000 (US$ 3,670) in May and R$ 6,000 (US$ 3,670)in January 2012.
Volkswagen employs 3,600 workers at San José and produces 810 Golf, Fox, Fox and Cross Fox cars per day for export. The company has lost the production of 5,000 vehicles during the strike. In addition to workers directly employed at the company, the strike indirectly affects 20,000 workers in the supply chain, including suppliers of auto parts and outsourced work.