10 October, 2024Two giant companies of the pulp and paper industry, Klabin and Suzano employ a combined approximately 75,000 people, the vast majority in Brazil. IndustriALL affiliated unions in Brazil brought 45 worker leaders from throughout the companies’ operations together in São Paulo on 8-9 October. The list of human and trade union rights, and environmental violations reported from throughout Brazil runs totally in contrast to both companies’ public commitments.
Anti-union persecution and harassment, worker mobilisations met with military police, workers seriously injured at work, high use of temporary outsourced work contracts, a blame the victim culture, and grave problems regarding health and safety that includes mental health, non-compliance with the principle of equal pay for equal work, no trade union access to the workplace, and the list continues.
The meeting took note of the workers’ strike at a company in Bahía that provides services to Suzano, and passed a solidarity resolution in support of the strike demands around salaries and working conditions.
The paper worker trade union group invited union leaders from the plantation operations of the companies, and will also coordinate with workers in the other parts of the company operations, including logistics.
CUT São Paulo paper sector director Bob De Paula Cruz said:
“This event is a major step in our long term effort to push for workers’ dignity at these two important companies. We are determined to achieve that and will stand united until we achieve our goals.”
The network will be coordinated by two paper sector union leaders in Brazil, Marcio Cruz Da Paula(Bob) representing CUT and Jose Roberto vieira da Silva (Betinho) representing Forca Sindical.
The network analysed priority issues including empowering women and seeking ways to increase women participation in union leadership roles at the companies, as well as issues such as a lack of production equipment suited for women, health and safety, and the common challenges of developing industrial relations throughout the operations.
IndustriALL paper sector director Tom Grinter said:
“This is international solidarity in action. The support of our Belgian paper workers affiliate ACV/CSC-BIE, together with the commitment and strategy of Brazilian paper workers’ unions combine to strengthen our union network. We seek to engage both companies and create the space for recognition of the union network by the employers, in order to find solutions for the priority complaints of our members.”