16 June, 2011For almost 40 days the workers of Paraná, Brazil, were on strike demanding better pay through profit sharing.
BRAZIL: The strike of the Volkswagen workers in São José dos Pinhais, who are members of the IMF affiliate CNTM/FS, has come to an end after almost 40 days. An agreement was reached on the evening of Friday, June 10, and this Monday the workers returned to their jobs.
The workers accepted a package guaranteeing that in the next 12 months they will receive R$21,680.00 and a pay increase of 15 per cent to 20 per cent. The agreement includes Profit and Result Sharing (PLR) for this year and next year, an increase in base pay, pay bonuses, a new pay scale and early payment of the 13th salary for 2012. Hence, the workers ended their strike, which caused more than $1.1 million in losses to the company.
The proposal was negotiated between the Union of Metalworkers of Grande Curitiba and VW after several rounds of talks and was accepted by the workers assembled at the factory gate.
The metalworkers' strike began on May 5, after the company announced that it would only offer to share profits with the workers of Paraná at the rate of 80 per cent of what was paid in São Paulo.
The amount of the profit sharing bonus for 2011 is R$11,500.00 for 100 per cent of the targets compared to pay in São Paulo. Payment will be made in January 2012. The first part will amount to R$5,200 and will be paid by the end of June of this year.