With Elsa Noemí
Contreras
An example of courage and dignity
The CALVO Group
uses its middle and senior managers to pressure the workers at its El Salvador
plant and force them to join an employer-controlled union promoted by the
company. Recently, a group of 25 workers presented their letters of resignation
from that union and publicly joined the General Union of Fishing and Related
Industry Workers (SGTIPAC). Elsa is one of these 25 workers, and she explains to
SIREL her reasons for doing what she did.
-Why had you joined the pro-management union?
-I didn’t know I was joining it; they just gave me a piece of paper and told
me to sign it without letting me read it.
-Who made you sign that paper?
-The general secretary of the pro-management union, Miriam Cruz Álvarez,
who is also the Head of the Laboratory at CALVO.
-Did they threaten you to make you join?
-Yes, they tell us a lot of things, like if we don’t sign we could be fired.
They promised us a lot of things, and then they didn’t keep any of their
promises. The same thing happened with all the other workers that are
members of the pro-management union.
-You were in the group of workers who went to San Salvador to present their
letters of resignation. How did that feel?
-For me it was great; we were very well received. The company’s authorities
still haven’t been informed, but they will soon, and we hope there won’t be
any trouble. Some fellow workers have criticized me, but it’s because
they’re afraid, and they’ll soon understand.
-Why did
you decide to join SGTIPAC instead?
-Because in the other union they make you sign things without letting you
know what they’re for, and also they never defended our rights as workers.
They let management do whatever they wanted to in that union. I’ve also seen
that SGTIPAC works better, and I decided to join because of the help
and the support we’ve received.
-Had you ever been in a union?
-No, this is
the first time.
-How old are you?
I’m 36 years old.
-How many children do you have?
-I have three kids of my own, and two others that are in my care.
-Are you
raising them all alone?
-Yes, I don’t have any support from the father or from anyone.
-So this job is everything to you…
-It’s very important, our lives depend on it.
-And despite that, you took a risk by leaving the pro-management union and
joining the pro-workers union…
-Of course. I
did what I had to do.
-Well good for you! If only we all had your courage and determination…
-Thank you very
much. I know that you have been backing this struggle
for a long time now.
-Do you think that now that you are a member of SGTIPAC, things will improve at
the plant?
-That’s what I’m hoping, because they don’t respect our labor rights, and
sometimes we are treated badly by our superiors, and that has to stop.
