After failing to reach an agreement with the Taubaté Metalworkers’ Union, Volkswagen management irresponsibly announced 100 redundancies at the plant after deciding against discussing other options with the union.
On the same day as the company made its announcement, 5,500 workers responded by voting to begin an indefinite strike in support of their demand for the reinstatement of their colleagues. On 19 August, a mass meeting took place at the plant to express support and solidarity with the workers. The meeting was attended by representatives of the United Autoworkers (UAW), affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, and unions from São Carlos, Anchieta, Curitiba and Resende affiliated to the CUT, Força Sindical and the UGT.
Negotiations are continuing under the auspices of the labour justice system. A mediation hearing is scheduled for 25 August.
Jorge Almeida, IndustriALL Regional Secretary, expressed the global union’s support for the Volkswagen workers by writing a letter of solidarity, in which he said:
IndustriALL Global Union vigorously condemns the actions of Volkswagen Brazil, which, instead of negotiating an agreement between the two parties, announced in an irresponsible manner that it was making 100 workers redundant. We are calling on Volkswagen Brazil to think again and exhaust the possibilities for negotiating in order to avoid an unwanted dispute. IndustriaALL is following events closely and is ready to provide whatever solidarity is necessary.”