The Latin American Federation of Coca-Cola Workers (FELATRAC) is born, representing 60 trade unions from ten countries of the region.

Last May 7, the FELATRAC was formed in Buenos Aires. This constitutes a key step in the process of accumulation of labor forces, which results directly from a strategy that involves the political democratization and the decentralization of tasks that was backed by our affiliates in the last Regional Conferences of the IUF. In this way, the Tenth Latin American Regional Conference of the IUF (Buenos Aires 1991) established new forums, called Professional Departments, for sector-based actions. As we recognized the need to overcome the dispersion of efforts and resources, we introduced these meeting points where we could redeploy our activists and encourage more people to participate, and thus contribute to broaden and deepen the processes of collective discussion and action throughout the region.

“The Beverage Department was formed in 1998, in Minas, Uruguay, in the framework of a regional meeting of beverage workers,” Raúl Álvarez, general secretary of the Argentinean Federation of Workers of the Carbonated Water Industry (FATAGA) and newly elected president of the FELATRAC, recalls. “At that meeting -Álvarez continues- we agreed to pursue various lines of action aimed at increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the struggle of our sector’s workers. As of that date, we’ve had that responsibility, which we share with the IUF’s Latin American Regional Office (Rel-UITA).”

Antonio Adourián, president of the Union of Coca-Cola Workers of Uruguay, highlighted that “one of the aspects I most value in the IUF and its affiliates is its capacity for solidarity. At the time of the military coup in Uruguay, I was forced to come to Argentina, where I was welcomed by fellow workers at the FATAGA. Today, as we form the Latin American Federation of Coca-Cola Workers, many fellow workers come to mind, but two in particular: Enildo Iglesias and Dan Gallin, who I met in Buenos Aires in 1971. If we’ve come this far, it is to a great extent thanks to the work and political vision of these and many other fellow workers of the IUF throughout all these years,” Adourián stressed.

For its part, the Brazilian delegation, formed by Siderlei de Oliveira of the CONTAC and the CNTA’s Antonio Filho and Artur Bueno Camargo, concurred in reasserting that unity in action is the way to face our current challenges. The unification experience carried out during the Parmalat crisis in Brazil shows us the path that we must take.

Carmargo and Siderlei also remarked that when they came into contact with the IUF in the late 1970s, they were made aware of the glorious struggle of the Union of Workers of Embotelladora Central (STECSA, Coca-Cola, Guatemala). “In the study circles held at the height of the military dictatorship in Brazil, no other issue would incite fellow workers more than the struggle of the STECSA and the global boycott against Coca-Cola organized by the IUF in solidarity with Guatemalan workers,” CONTAC president Siderlei highlighted.

“It is evident that we have not arrived at this Federation by chance -Camargo added-; this Federation is the result of a long process fueled by the Education Program and the solidarity of the Swedish labor movement; by the efforts carried out by the IUF’s Regional Office over the years, which contributed to consolidate the labor movement among food and agriculture workers throughout the region and, in particular, in Brazil. Nobody gives us anything for free. The FELATRAC arises from the efforts of our rank-and-file activists, from our own demands and needs. It’s not a “new apparatus” created for Coca-Cola workers. No. The FELATRAC was built by the very organizations that represent the workers of this transnational corporation in Latin America, respecting the times and the differences in labor traditions. This is extremely important and it urges us on to continue down this road that we ourselves are paving,” CNTA president Carmargo emphasized.

The FELATRAC is born representing 60 trade unions from ten countries of the region. This will position Coca-Cola workers better in the negotiation processes and in the search for new strategic alliances. The Federation, which benefits politically from the IUF’s broad representative base among Coca-Cola trade unions, is also an open forum for thousands of workers, from which other unions will be invited to join this experience and our International organization.

To carry out its activities, the FELATRAC has adopted a simple operating structure, formed by a president, a vice president and four coordinators, one for each sub-region of our Regional Office.

Francisco Argüeta, general secretary of the STECSA and vice president of the FELATRAC reflected that: “These efforts to consolidate the IUF’s actions before the transnational corporation Coca-Cola are coordinated with our efforts to design a union structure that will provide coverage for all the workers of the transnational corporation in Guatemala. Now, together with the FELATRAC, we have to strengthen the efforts of our sister organizations in Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, and continue to move forward until every Coca-Cola worker is unionized.”

Consulted about the challenges that the Federation will have to face, Enrique “Quique” Torres, legal advisor to the STECSA and the Trade Union Federation of Food, Agroindustry and Related Industry Workers (FESTRAS), said: “Negotiation is a natural part of what unions are, and the scope of our gains is determined by the strength of each organization. For a long time, the STECSA was an island in the context of Latin America, and in Central America in particular. That put us in an extremely vulnerable position. But, things change. Now the islands are the organizations that are not part of the FELATRAC, and it is up to us to encourage them to join this movement, while at the same time, as Pablo Quiroga of the FATAGA said, we have to step up the struggle so that there isn’t a single Coca-Cola plant whose workers are not unionized,” Quique urged.

David Morales, general secretary of the FESTRAS, has represented Latin America in more IUF-Coca-Cola Company meetings in Atlanta than anyone else. “Our power of negotiation with the company is stronger -David underlines- when our demands are presented by a structure such as the FELATRAC, which represents 60 unions. And like you said to the authorities of the FEMSA that participated in our Workshop, we’re not looking to complicate things. The aim is to find solutions to the problems we face and be able to prevent conflicts through dialogue and negotiation. The FELATRAC -Morales continued- represents the vast majority of the unions of Coca-Cola workers in our region, and that’s saying a lot; it’s a reality that cannot be ignored by national authorities nor by any of the Company’s franchises.”