Automatic translation:                  
06/04/2007

GM attacks workers´ rights and want reduce wages

Luiz Carlos Prates, Mancha

From Sao Jose dos Campos / Sao Paulo – Brazil

Accordingly press, in 2006, GM Brazil was responsible for 40 per cent of GM LAAM (Latin America, Africa, Middle East) business, what totalized US$ 533 million of net profit.

The mass production is very high. In Sao Jose dos Campos, where we are located, the production rate is much accelerated, that causing the increase of sickness which is related to work in this plant.

However, instead of his great profits and great production, the company reduced workers employments since 2006. In this period, about a hundred workers were already dismissed.

In April 2nd, the company opened a new voluntary dismiss program, the first of the year. The program’s mark was not published officially.

Beyond the mass dismisses and the task concentration upon the workers which still are in the plant, there is a fear related to company restructure, published in March.

GM said to metalworkers unions, that needs analyze his production cost, what the workers face as a threat against the workers rights.

GM´s plans

GM want increase more the competitiveness between the three plant in Brazil (Sao Jose dos Campos - Sao Paulo; Sao Caetano do Sul - Sao Paulo; and Gravatai - Rio Grande do Sul), intending reduce wages and rights.

The company, with his high profits, instead of to make equal the different wages (the Gravatai workers, i. e., earn just a half of the other plants workers´ wages), want reduce them.

But, the Sao Jose dos Campos GM metalworkers are organized to face these attacks. Many meetings are preparing the fight against the rights reduces.

We are cont on the international solidarity of workers in this fight. We are looking forward to receive your solidarity messages by email:

mancha@sindmetalsjc.org.br,

secretaria@sindmetalsjc.org.br.

Go to the fight, comrades!

www.sindmetalsjc.org.br

Site/country
Dear colleagues in Brazil,

GM's strategy in Brazil clearly shows that their approach is to create pressure on working conditions and wages even in the highly profitable plants. All across the world they try to play off workers and plants against each other and to create a permanent competition between the plants. The employees and their representatives have to break this logic of permanent competition, otherwise there will be a downward spiralling of working conditions and wages everywhere. I think the only way to fight GM's strategy is a cooperation between the employees of the different plants. Of course this is a challenging approach and unions and workers oftentimes don't have enough ressources for this strategy, but it is the only chance we have. In Europe we are in a more favourable situation than you in Brazil, because we have the European Works Council legislation. This so-called EWC-directive is of course not a strong tool (only information and consultation rights), but better than nothing. I don't know much about the labour law in Brazil, but looking at employee rights in all the countries worldwide where GM is engaged, it is perhaps not realistic to get emloyee friendly labour laws everywhere in the near future. An alternative to improve the situation of employee rights inside GM could be a World Works Council (like other automobile companies already have it). I hope the UAW will change its negative attitude to a GM World Works Council.

All the best for your fight for defending and improving your working conditions and for an increase of the Gravatai-wages.
Keep us informed about your fight.

Do you have a hint for short information about the labour relations system in Brazil and/or the situation in the automobile industry and at GM Brazil (Links, articles, etc.). We have to learn more about the systems and the framework conditions in the other GM countries. In Europe we learned that this is one precondition for cooperation and trust between the employees and the plants. Please publish your hints in the blog.

In solidarity

Martin

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