4 June, 2024Workers at the Renault Horse factory in São José dos Pinhais have been striking for improved health and safety conditions since 7 May, calling on the employer to return to the negotiating table.
Workers at the Renault Horse factory in São José dos Pinhais have been striking for improved health and safety conditions since 7 May, calling on the employer to return to the negotiating table.
Members of the Gran Curitiba Metalworkers' Union (SMC), part of the National Confederation of Metalworkers (CNTM), affiliated to IndustriALL, went on strike for improved conditions for assembly line workers. The union says that without enough workers, the heavy workload becomes heavy. Employees are given only 5 per cent of their total working time to rest or use the bathroom, which SMC says this puts workers' health and safety at risk.
The union’s key demands include:
- the recruitment of an additional 300 workers to meet production demand and make up for recent layoffs
- improvements to the health insurance scheme
- a better employee profit-sharing plan
- an increase in the value of the basic consumer basket provided by the company
As the company failed to provide solutions and to engage in a dialogue, the union had no choice but to submit its demands through two hearings at the regional labour court in Brazil. The union has repeatedly stated that it is open to negotiate with Renault for a safer working environment, which would also improve the company's productivity and competitiveness. However, it says that Renault has not been willing to engage in a dialogue on the issue.
SMC president Sergio Butka says:
“The path to democracy is through dialogue. The company absolutely must come back to the negotiating table and discuss occupational health and financial issues with workers. All changes within the company should be discussed with and agreed by all parties to find better solutions.“
In a letter, IndustriALL reminde the Renault Group and the Renault Group Works’ Council signed a global framework agreement in 2013, where they jointly committ to promote workers' rights and sustainable development. In 2019 an agreement on the quality of working life was signed, which offers the possibility for, and encourages the launching of, new initiatives and seeks to find appropriate pragmatic solutions to improve employees' life at work, through the negotiation of local agreements.
Says IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie:
“We urge Renault to respect the commitments made in both agreements and to encourage your subsidiary in Brazil to agree to negotiate better working conditions with the union.”