The National Union of Workers of  Industria Nacional de Refrescos SA (SUT - INARSA), Coca Cola FEMSA, a member of the IUF, reached an important outcome with the signature of a new Collective Agreement, ensuring job security and substantial progress in economic terms for the next two years.

“There were two weeks of direct negotiation with management and the results are satisfactory within the framework of our struggle to ensure economic, social and labor benefits for workers", the general secretary of SUT-INARSA, Daniel Reyes, told Sirel.

According to SUT-INARSA leader, one of the main achievements is the re-confirmation of 72 clauses of the old Agreement and a negotiated revision of the economic clauses.

“We reached an average 23 percent annual wage increase, guaranteeing all the benefits included in the Agreement and some important improvements. We also reached a 7 percent wage increase for all departments.

The total amount of the Agreement went from 23 million córdobas, national currency (1.06 million US dollars) to 40 million (1,8 million US dollars) for the effective period of two years”, explained Reyes.

Another achievement of this negotiation was that we got to keep the clauses on job security and permanent union leave.

“Maintaining clause 14, which refers to a bipartite conflict solving mechanism, and clause 19, which covers recognition of SUT-INARSA as the sole and exclusive legitimate representative of workers, has been essential for our work.

We may have not reached all our expectations –he said –, but all in all we are very satisfied. We will continue our struggle for job security, so that the company continues respecting the Union and the right of workers to defend their wins, which are contemplated in our Collective Agreement”, he asserted.

Agreement on working hours at

the sales department

Thanks to the support of the  United Federation of Food Workers of Nicaragua(FUTATSCON) and the National Workers' Front (FNT),  SUT-INARSA also reached an agreement with the Ministry of Labor (MITRAB), on the working hours at the sales department.

“The MITRAB intended to regulate the working hours of the sales staff, and require 8 hours, as established by the Labor Code. In this sense, the internal agreement reached with the company to extend such hours was not being taken into account”, explained SUT-INARSA's general secretary.

In an area where the entire salary exclusively depends on sales, such measure by the  MITRAB would have not only affected the workers' income but also it would have weakened the Union.

“In order to maintain the sales volume, Coca Cola FEMSA was going to outsource routes which would have weakened our union. Thanks to the support of  FNT and FUTATSCON we managed to reach an agreement.

Now, the working hours of the sales department negotiated with the company has been included in the Agreement and it was acknowledged and signed by the MITRAB, added Reyes.

The significance of a

regional union strategy

The evening before the 3rd Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Latin American Federation of Coca Cola Workers (FELATRAC), Daniel Reyes also expressed the importance of this effort promoted by  Rel-UITA.

“Now, more than ever, it is essential to keep enhancing unity in the sector and unity of regional struggles. In the same way transnational corporations get together and become global, we also need to be united to defend the rights of workers at the regional level", he concluded.

From Managua, Giorgio Trucchi

Rel-UITA

13 August, 2010

Photos: Giorgio Trucchi