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“Tito” Zelko is a C.P.A. who has been working for the Finance Department of The
Coca Cola Company since 1985. He was previously employed by the Ford Motor
Company until that same year, when the automotive firm closed down its offices
in Uruguay. Zelko was hired by TCCC at the time when Uruguay was leaving behind
a period of military dictatorship (1973 - 1985). The workers’ union was one of
the first organizations to consider the issue of those who had lost their jobs
as a consequence of political persecution, at a time when many former co-workers
started returning from exile or were released from imprisonment. Zelko was
elected President of the Workers’ Union of the Coca-Cola Company (STCC) in the
elections held recently.
-The last union
elections evidenced a high level of participation by workers, right?
-Yes, 91% of the
members entitled to vote participated in the election that included 15 of the 19
departments into which Uruguay is divided. A particular aspect in this
election was the possibility of the outsourced workers from the Distribution
area to participate both as candidates and voters, upon a resolution by the
former directors.
-Now that you mention
the outsourced workers, something that must be pointed out are the great
advances made by the Union towards increasing direct contracts.
-Indeed, 200 workers
that were outsourced are now directly hired by TCCC.
As you have commented
on several opportunities: this case would be one of a kind within the
transnational company. In that sense, the efforts and determination of the
former directors must be acknowledged.
The scenario was that
seasonal workers stayed on the job over the maximum period of ten months
permitted for seasonal work, with the same wage and working conditions.
Because this was the
case for three consecutive years, the STCC union decided to bring up the issue
to the directors of the time, and during their initial negotiations, an
agreement was reached for having 120 workers from the distribution area to be
included in the company’s payroll, in addition to other 80 workers who were
hired at a later date.
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The previous Board of
Directors made it possible for 200 workers to be included in the company’s
payroll. |
-Which workers are
members of the union?
-The workers of
Montevideo Refrescos – the affiliate of The Coca Cola Company –, and
also the workers of the Distribution area working at the warehouses, as well as
on the outsourced trucks.
We also have a group
representative of the workers from the maintenance/janitorial area, even when
they are not direct members of the union. This area of the company was
outsourced in the year 2002.
The union has taken
part in negotiations with the company where we have conquered a series of
benefits for these workers.
-How many people does
the maintenance area include?
-Approximately 70
workers. We are currently working on negotiations aimed at having about a dozen
workers who handle outsourced trucks within the plant to be put on a level with
our wages. This would mean a significant salary rise for them and also their
access to a number of benefits.
-Our affiliate in the
dairy sector in Argentina (ATILRA) has managed to have the personnel responsible
for stocking supermarket shelves be admitted as union members. What is the
situation in this sense in the case of Coca Cola?
- We have had diverse
experiences in this regard. Attempts were made to organize a union of stockers,
but that is an activity where people don’t stick to a position for a long time.
The workers who do the
stocking of shelves with Coca Cola products have contacted us and we have
provided them with assistance and support, but they have not become part of our
union yet.
-Is there a possibility
for them to register as members of the STCC union?
-That possibility
exists, but it happens that the issue not only depends on the union but rather
on the particular dynamics of that community of workers.
Some four or five years
ago, there were workers of The Coca Cola Company working on that task, and they
were union members, but at present they are employees hired by another company
that provides the service.
-What is the total of
members at the STCC?
-At present we have 700
registered, representing approximately 65% of a total of 1,100 workers.
-What are the
challenges lying ahead for the union?
-We could classify them
into two types of objectives: medium or long term objectives. The former being
the objectives relative to everyday union issues such as working conditions,
salaries and so on. And the latter are those intended for strengthening our
union organization, and for including young workers in the union’s actions, so
that they can become the candidates for taking over the positions of directors
of tomorrow, in union activities that are often hard to deal with.
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We want to include
young workers in the union’s activities so that they may be considered
candidates for leading the organization in the near future. |
-What is your opinion
about the “Jugos del Valle” juices imported from Argentina?
-It has been a common
practice for the company to import products, such as Coca Cola in can
containers, which is not produced in Uruguay, in addition to other
examples with different levels of popularity in the market.
At present the company
is importing flavored water such as Aquarius (from Paraguay and
Argentina) and Jugos del Valle, from the Argentinean province of
Córdoba.
In recent years, this
type of companies have had to adjust to market trends by including products to
improve their profit.
-Like yerba mate, for
instance…
-(Laughs) A fact to be
considered is that Uruguay is the country with the highest per-capita
consumption of yerba mate in the world. Since 2009, The Coca Cola Company
has been commercializing a yerba mate branded “La Vuelta”, which is imported
from Brazil.
Getting back to the
beverage segment, the company has made public its plan to locally develop some
of the products, but a process for improving the factory’s production
infrastructure must be implemented first.
This represents a great
challenge for the union. Thanks to IUF and to the workers from the
Argentinean Federation of Workers of the Soda Beverage Industry (FATAGA)
we can keep updated on the technology necessary for manufacturing certain
products, and aware of the possible effects implied for the working force.
-You have a
long-standing relationship with FATAGA, is that right?
-Yes, we do. And I
should mention that we have always had the full support and solidarity of that
Federation, regardless of who has occupied the directing positions. They have
always been there for us.
I remember that in the
dark years, the 1970s, when many workers were forced to exile, the workers from
FATAGA offered their true solidarity, and that is something we must publicly
acknowledge.
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