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Last March 16, the Union of
Workers of Productos Lácteos
SA (SINPROLAC), an IUF
affiliate, renewed its
collective bargaining
agreement in record time at
the Matagalpa Nestlé (Compañía
Centroamericana de Productos
Lácteos SA – PROLACSA) plant
in northern Nicaragua,
obtaining significant
economic gains.
Only 22 days were necessary
for SINPROLAC and
Nestlé (PROLACSA)
to sign the new collective
bargaining agreement, which
was negotiated directly and
was judged by the union’s
negotiating committee as
highly beneficial.
“We’re happy with both the
outcome and the speed of the
negotiating process. We
signed 36 clauses, of which
23 were left as they were
(in the previous agreement),
and the remaining 13 -most
of them economic- were
amended,” SINPROLAC
general secretary Félix
Rizo told
Sirel.
Rizo
reported that the leading
gains obtained in this
negotiation included an
increase of 100 percent in
the Home Loan Fund, 12.5
percent for years of
service, and an average of
26 percent for the seniority
bonus.
The union also obtained the
monthly distribution of a
24-unit box of powdered milk
for all workers, and a 14
percent increase in the
company’s cash contribution
to cover union office
expenses.
“In
economic terms, the
negotiating committee
obtained in average a 8.6
percent raise in wages,
which we find satisfactory,”
Rizo said.
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The union
obtained a 56
percent increase
over the
previous
agreement. |
There were also significant
increases of about 15 to 33
percent in the subsidy for
eyeglasses, subsidy for
payment of funeral expenses,
and paid leave for marriage.
“Before beginning the
bargaining process we met
with the regional director
of Nestlé, to express
the need to guarantee that
negotiations would be
conducted in harmony and
with mutual respect, in
order to quickly reach an
agreement that is
satisfactory for both
parties,” Rizo said.
“He seems to have heard us,
and I think the agreement we
achieved is a good one.”
“I’d like to take this
opportunity to thank the
IUF and the Latin
American Federation of
Nestlé Workers (FELATRAN)
for the support it gave us
over the past months and for
the training they provided
for our members,” Rizo
added.
“For us it is crucial for
workers to have a clear
understanding of the goals
we are pursuing and of the
importance of being
connected with other
organizations at the
regional level,” the general
secretary of SINPROLAC
concluded.
Last Sunday, March 20,
SINPROLAC gathered its
members in a general
assembly to give a detailed
report of the new Collective
Bargaining Agreement. A
total of 160 workers, of the
union’s 210 members,
attended the meeting.
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