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Next March 3, a collective
bargaining table will begin
discussions for a new
collective bargaining
agreement at the Matagalpa
Nestlé plant (Compañía
Centroamericana de Productos
Lácteos S.A. – PROLACSA), in
northern Nicaragua. The
Union of Workers of
Productos Lácteos S.A.
(SINPROLAC), an IUF
affiliate, agreed to
negotiate with the company
directly.
“We submitted the List of
Demands duly and timely, and
the Labor Ministry (MITRAB)
convened the parties to set
a schedule for negotiations.
In the end, we agreed to
negotiate through direct
means and continue with the
expired bargaining agreement
until a new one is signed,”
Félix Rizo,
general secretary of
SINPROLAC, told
Sirel.
“We decided to meet on March
3,” Rizo said.
According to Rizo,
this negotiation has raised
much expectation among the
plant’s workers, who hope to
improve their working
conditions and wages and
obtain a guarantee that
their jobs are safe.
“Among
our leading demands are an
increase in the Home Loan
Fund for the workers with
the lowest wages, the
establishment of a joint
committee to assess any
disciplinary measures before
it is taken, and a
100-percent increase in the
recognition for years of
service.”
“We also ask that the system
for calculating the
seniority bonus be modified
and that the monthly
distribution of a 24-unit
box of powdered milk be
implemented for an
indefinite period of time,”
the SINPROLAC leader
continued.
With respect to wages,
SINPROLAC requested a
restructure of wages to
reflect changes that have
occurred in the company over
the past few years.
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SINPROLAC is
fully open to
dialogue and
willing to reach
an agreement in
the shortest
time possible.
We only hope
that Nestlé is
as willing as we
are. |
“In recent years, many tasks
have undergone changes as a
result of technology
upgrades and new ones have
been created, with no
specific wages set for them.
Which is why we’re asking
the Labor Ministry to
perform a new assessment and
a salary restructure,”
Rizo said.
Lastly, SINPROLAC demands a
general wage increase of 20
percent.
To be adequately prepared
for the collective
bargaining process, the
members of the negotiating
committee participated with
other members of
SINPROLAC in a training
workshop organized by
Rel-UITA (IUF Latin
America).
“We met in Matagalpa and
held a training workshop on
business strategies and
policies of the large
transnational corporations.
We explained how these
companies operate in
Nicaragua and around the
world, and how they address
collective bargaining
processes.
We also focused on Nestlé’s
policies, its global
structure and profits,”
Marcial Cabrera,
general
secretary of the United
Federation of Food Workers
of Nicaragua (FUTATSCON),
said.
“This was a very important
tool provided by Rel-UITA,
and it helped open our eyes
in preparation for the
upcoming negotiation,”
Rizo said.
“We hope to be able to
conduct the collective
bargaining process in an
atmosphere of mutual
respect, without major
obstacles that force us to
appeal to international
support and denunciation
measures, like we had to
last year.”
“SINPROLAC is fully
open to dialogue and willing
to reach an agreement in the
shortest time possible.”
“We only hope that Nestlé
is as willing as we are,”
Rizo concluded.
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