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   Italy - Brazil - Meatpacking

International Solidarity

JBS' "contradictory" consistency

Press Release by the Italian Federation of Agroindustry Workers

 

 

 

MODENA
Press Bureau


Press Release - 10/19/2010

 
JBS' "contradictory" consistency

(Cremonini counterpart in the INALCA-JBS joint venture)


Last Oct. 16, leading national and local newspapers (Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica) carried a piece paid for by JBS, the Brazilian partner that holds 50 percent of INALCA JBS (Cremonini Group), known for its attacks and lawsuits brought against the Italian partner.

 

In this piece, in addition to promoting sustainable growth and expressing concern for the Planet, the company speaks of respect for the environment and for human beings. It also reaffirms its commitment to fostering the common good as a priority, as well as to building and preserving client, supplier and worker trust. These are big, weighty words and statements, which should be backed by the actions of a company that aims to be competitive in the third millennium, investing in “social responsibility,” in people and in the environment.

 

On Monday, Oct 18, fellow unionists from the IUF (the International Federation of Agriculture and Food Industry Workers) sent me an interview with the president of the Meat Industry Workers Union of Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil), describing the harsh struggle being waged by the workers of a plant owned by JBS. This situation stands in stark contrast to the values that JBS boastfully claimed to uphold in its paid publicity last Saturday.

For the past 15 days, 2,000 workers of the Mato Grosso plant have been on strike demanding respect for fundamental rights, including payment of overtime, improved working conditions, health care for workers, shorter workdays (the current 11- to 12-hour-workdays being extremely harsh for slaughterhouse work), and the reduction of the excessive work pace.

 

The interview also reveals that JBS is attempting to replace the striking workers with other workers unrelated to the plant, which, from what arises in the interview, is a violation of Brazilian laws.

 

Besides that despicable antiunion attitude, it appears that the Brazilian transnational corporation has threatened the workers who decided to support the strike.

 

Today, I sent a letter of solidarity to our fellow unionists and workers in Brazil, informing them of the contradictory publicity campaign that JBS is conducting here in Italy.

The labor conflict that the Brazilian workers are facing shares certain points in common with the conflict we are up against in Modena with INALCA JBS. The similarities are the company's failure to comply with the collective bargaining agreement and its disrespect for people.

 

This similarity is also found across the entire beef and pork production sector, in Italy, Europe and the world. These common characteristics show a degree of exploitation, illegality and disrespect for workers' rights that transcends national boundaries, that seeks to bring those rights down to their lowest expression everywhere, as part of a strategy implemented by unscrupulous transnational corporations throughout the Globe.

 

These are also the perverse effects of economic globalization. What we cannot accept is for this to exist in companies that boast a respect for people and the promotion of sustainable growth. I am hopeful that JBS will realize the error of its ways, and will sit down again to negotiate with its workers in a responsible manner, demonstrating it is consistent with its public sayings here in Italy.

 

You can read the interview with the president of the Brazilian union here.

 

 

Umberto Franciosi

Secretary of the Italian Federation of Agroindustry Workers - FLAI | CGIL Modena

 

 

 

 

Rel-UITA

             October 210, 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

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