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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
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