29 September, 2014Workers at Foxconn’s second plant in Jundiaí, Brazil have succeeded in attaining the same salary and career opportunities as employees in the company’s other major plant in the city.
The victory came in a deal between Foxconn and the Metalworkers Union of Jundiaí following a five-day strike involving 3,700 workers.
The implementation of the new salary structure will take a year to be finalized, but from September 2014 workers at plant two will get an equal wage to those working in plant one.
Foxconn, a Taiwanese electronics multinational, has also agreed to give the workers full pay for the period of the strike, which ended on 18 September.
Foxconn launched its largest factory in Brazil in Jundiaí in 2007. The site specializes in manufacturing computers, notebooks and motherboards. In 2011, the company opened its second production unit in the same city, which is the only facility outside China to assemble iphones and ipads for Apple.
The Metalworkers Union, a member of IndustriALL affiliate CNTM, had been demanding that the company implement a package of wages and career plans that would benefit all workers at both plants in Jundiaí.
It is the second time in two years that Foxconn workers in Brazil have laid down tools. A previous strike took place in February 2013 for the same demands.
During the process of conciliation at the regional labour court, Foxconn agreed to immediately start implementing the new organizational structure. A meeting in January 2015 will also further examine positions and salary plans.