The workers of the Ajinomoto unit in the municipality of Capivarí, state of São Paulo, met with the Food Industry Workers’ Union (STIA) of Limeira to coordinate actions with the aim of pressuring the Japanese transnational corporation into negotiating the social clauses of the collective bargaining agreement.

Sirel spoke with Artur Bueno de Camargo, president of the National Confederation of Food Industry Workers (CNTA), who commented on this new stage in the conflict.

-The Capivarí union has joined the struggle. What measures are planned?

-The Capivarí workers are putting forward the same demands as the Limeira workers, and they’ve presented them in a formal communication to Ajinomoto management.

This shows that, contrary to what the company is claiming, our demands are neither isolated nor irrational.

As of now we are joining forces with the fellow workers of that municipality’s food industry union to take action together, and this will no doubt strengthen our struggle towards obtaining improvements in the social clauses, such as the basic basket and the medicine subsidy.

-Do you think Ajinomoto will give in and agree to negotiate?

-We’re working towards that. We’ve set this week as the deadline for Ajinomoto management to agree to a negotiation, or else -prior consultation with the workers- we will adopt a different approach in this conflict and stage stronger labor actions.