Brazil, Sao Pablo - October 4th, 2021
Long live the General Motors workers' strike
in São Caetano do Sul
The 5 thousand workers have been demanding a 5% real increase, to rediscuss social clauses, a greater food voucher and they demand likewise that GM don’t take away their labor gains. The workers are represented by Força Sindical. The employer proposes to change the clause that guarantees the salary and the jobs of the workers who are sick, taking that guarantee to a limit of 2 years. The comrades responded in assembly by voting for an indefinite period of strike, and once again rejected the miserable proposal of the employer.
General Motor worldwide, despite the pandemic, has been making millions in profits (1). The GM workers of São Caetano do Sul know about this and know that for years this transnational has been taking away their rights and imposing conditions of flexibility thanks to the betrayal and surrender of the union bureaucracy that acts as a transmission belt for the employer's blackmail as in 2019, when it threatened with leaving the country if they didn’t accept its conditions.
The strike must be surrounded by solidarity; let it be the beginning of a national struggle!
For a committee of National Struggle!
To defeat the General Motors bosses, we have to fight on a continental level
We metalworkers call the CSP-Conlutas to organize base assemblies in all the automotive companies in Brazil and throughout the Americas to promote a common struggle. Workers from another GM plant in Brazil, Mogi Das Cruzes, held assemblies and voted to stop production for hours in solidarity, and if there is no response, they will go on a total strike next Monday. At the same time, the São José Dos Campos union held an assembly in solidarity.
GM management is preparing new layoffs and conditions of flexibility. Enough! We have to organize a true continental struggle of workers of the automotives, auto parts and metal mechanics, to stop the attack of the transnationals and their lackeys of the anti-worker governments.
There are the new conditions that they imposed on our Toyota comrades in Argentina, increasing their production rates and robbing them of the Saturday rest, actually increasing one more day of work. While the Fernandezes government has just granted the automakers that they will not pay withholdings on exports when they exceed those of the year 2020, at a time when exports are going to increase, a gift endorsed by the SMATA (Union of Mechanics and Related Workers of Automotive Transport) and UOM (Metallurgical Workers Union) bureaucracies (2).
For a single fight from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego!
Correspondent
Romero is held hostage by the murderous Argentinean state and General Motors!
For an international day of struggle for the freedom of Sebastian Romero, for the acquittal of Arakaki and Ruiz and for the cease of persecution to all the persecuted fighters in Argentina and the world
At this time, a very tough strike is taking place at the São Caetano GM plant in defense of wages and the conquests of the metalworkers. There are the best allies of Romero, a militant of the PSTU, a delegate fired from GM in Argentina, today a prisoner of the Fernandezes government for fighting in 2017 against the Pension Reform.
On October 18 in Argentina, an event is being convened for the dissolution of the trial against the processed Daniel Ruiz, a former oil worker that is now processed along with Arakaki and Ponce, and for the freedom of Sebastian Romero.(3)
We call for the broadest unity of the workers all over the Amercas and especially Romero's workmates at all General Motors plants.
This must be the demand leading the protest of the striking São Caetano workers. There are the forces to defeat the 16-day prison sentence for Macapá (a GM workers' leader in Brazil sentenced for fighting).
We need to unite with the comrades from Silao (Mexico) and the United States, who have been fighting together against labor flexibility and also against the union bureaucracies that are subservient to the bosses.
It’s essential that the CSP-Conlutas and the GM of São José dos Campos, together with the International Trade Union Confederation, organize a great action day of struggle this October 18 to free Romero and all our imprisoned comrades.
From Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, let's win the streets:
Free Sebastián Romero! Dissolution of the trial against Ruiz, Arakaki and Ponce! |
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