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Meat Packing

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   Brazil

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April 28

World Day for Safety and Health at Work

We demand a law to regulate work in meatpacking plants now!

 

On April 28 the National Confederation of Food and Agroindustry Workers (CONTAC) held a number of mobilizations nationwide, calling for the implementation of a law that will regulate the work pace in meatpacking plants, with the aim of reducing occupational illnesses in this sector, which presents a high rate of injured workers.

 

For Brazil’s food industry workers, last April 28 was an opportunity to give even more visibility to the National Campaign to Eradicate Occupational Illnesses in Poultry Plants promoted by CONTAC.

 

The campaign’s logo depicting a chicken pushing someone in a wheelchair was seen in every capital city of Brazil, accompanied by a large group of workers.

 

This activity began in 2003 and has been repeated every April 28 with the same level of success, gathering numerous demonstrators.

 

This year, 600,000 informative fliers were distributed throughout the country with the slogan: “We demand a law to regulate work in meatpacking plants now!”, and data and figures on the current conditions in the sector in Brazil.

 

This year’s mobilizations were held in cities with poultry processing plants with the specific aim of pressuring the government and the business sector to give continuity to the drafting of a Law to Regulate work in poultry plants towards eradicating professional illnesses in the sector.

 

In 2010, after several years of joint efforts with the IUF and the implementation of an international denunciation campaign, CONTAC succeeded in establishing a Tripartite Committee in the Ministry of Labor with the aim of regulating work in poultry processing plants. This committee is scheduled to meet on May 5 and 6 in Sao Paulo to begin drafting the law.

 

Emphasis will be made on cutting work hours, through a reduction in the workers’ exposure to repetitive tasks: for each hour worked, there will be a ten-minute break. This is something the sector’s workers have long been fighting for.

 

It should be noted that this CONTAC-IUF campaign on occupational health in the poultry sector –conducted with the support of Finland’s SEL–SASK has gained international visibility, with several European organizations taking an interest.

From Serafina Correa, Siderlei de Oliveira

Rel-UITA

May 5, 2011

 

 

 

 

Photo: CONTAC

 

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