Sao Paulo, April 10, 2008
GDC - Gomes da Costa
Mr. Enrique Orgue
Managing and Financial Director
Ref.: Antiunion practices of the Calvo company against
El Salvador workers
Dear Sir,
We were informed by the Latin American Regional Office
of the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel,
Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’
Associations (Rel-UITA) of the unacceptable situation
suffered by the General Union of Fishing and Related
Industry Workers (SGTIPAC) at your industrial plant of
La Union, El Salvador.
The reports of antiunion persecution were duly confirmed
by our fellow unionists Jotacy Leite, president of the
Union of Fishing Industry Workers of Itajaí (SITIP), and
Osvaldo Flavio Mafra, president of the Federation of
Food Workers of Santa Catarina, both affiliates of our
organization. They both traveled to El Salvador to meet
with the Union.
Unfortunately, the union was denied the interview it
requested with the El Salvador plant manager, Miguel
Angel Peñalva.
On behalf of Força Sindical and its 1600 affiliates, we
wish to inform you that we will not tolerate your
antiunion discrimination policy against SGTIPAC. We
thought for a moment that the situation would be
different at the Calvo plant in El Salvador, and that
your company would behave as it does in its relations
with the union here in Brazil and with union
organizations in Spain.
Your obstinacy and capriciousness are seriously
complicating the situation and the IUF does not rule out
the possibility of carrying out severe union actions
worldwide. In this sense, Força Sindical will await the
report from Melquides de Araújo and Neusa Barbosa de
Lima, respectively vice president of our organization
and secretary of the Women’s Committee, upon their
return from the IUF’s International Executive Committee
meeting, which is being held in the month of April.
We ask you, Mister Managing Director, to intervene
urgently, along with your parent company, so that this
deplorable situation can be overcome and the company can
begin a fruitful and democratic dialogue with SGTIPAC.
Awaiting future developments in this sense, we remain
sincerely yours,
João Carlos Gonçalves (Juruna)
Nilton Souza Silva (Neco)
General Secretary
International Secretary
