With thousands facing layoffs, Brazilian unions push temporary work at Ford
The two main trade unions leading the negotiations with Ford on the shutdown of its operations in Brazil are urging workers to return to work next Monday, February 22, in a clear gesture of their obedience to the automaker’s profit interests. Even knowing that they will soon be laid off, the workers are to return to the factories to meet the company’s demand for spare parts.
Workers march against Ford shutdown in São Paulo in 2019
This imposition of the return to work comes amid pressure from Ford dealerships, which have shown concern about a shortage of spare parts for the cars that are still for sale. The announcement of the plants’ closure provoked an immediate drop in sales of Ford vehicles in Brazil. In January, the company’s sales were cut in half in comparison to December, totaling only 8,100 units sold in the entire country. It was the biggest drop among car manufacturers in Brazil.
Brazilian unions suppress workers’ opposition to mass layoffs following Ford shutdowns
One month after Ford announced the closure of all three of its remaining plants in Brazil, other companies linked to its production chain are dismissing their workers, unleashing a wave of layoffs affecting the most diverse sectors of the auto industry. According to research by the Interunion Department of Statistics and Socioeconomic Studies (DIEESE), the 5,000 layoffs announced by Ford spell the potential destruction of another 118,864 jobs, resulting in a loss of 2.5 billion reais (US$465 million) in annual wages.
Based on this perspective, one can predict a wave of opposition among Brazilian workers. On January 26, about 800 workers at the auto parts manufacturer Arteb, located in the ABC industrial complex in São Paulo, went on strike to protest against 200 layoffs. Founded in 1934, Arteb produces headlights and headlamps for major automakers, and blamed the layoffs on the Ford’s clos
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DETROIT/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co said on Monday it will close its three plants in Brazil this year and take pretax charges of about $4.1 billion as the COVID-19 pandemic amplified the company’s under use of its manufacturing capacity.
FILE PHOTO: Ford logo is pictured at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, Germany. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo
Production will cease immediately at Ford’s plants in Camaçari and Taubaté, with some parts production continuing for a few months to support inventories for aftermarket sales. The Troller plant in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, will continue to operate until the fourth quarter.
PROTESTS continued in Brazil today against plans by Ford to close three of its plants, which will cause at least 5,000 job losses.
Unions have called on the global manufacturer to reconsider its decision, which came without any discussions in the middle of the global Covid-19 pandemic.
The IndustriALL international trade union confederation insists the announcement is a “blatant violation of the global framework agreement” Ford signed up to in 2012.
This stipulates that timely information and consultation with unions is necessary in such situations.
Brazilian unions called for protests outside Ford dealerships and issued a joint statement condemning the closure.
Taubate Sindmetau metalworkers’ union president Claudi Batista said: “The workers won’t simply walk out the door. We’re going to keep fighting for our jobs.”
Published on: Thursday, January 14, 2021
By: AFP
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Workers of US automaker Ford attend a protest in front of the Ford manufacturing plant in Taubate, Sao Paulo state, Brazil.
SAO PAULO: Thousands of workers on Tuesday protested the pending closure of carmaker Ford’s three Brazilian factories at the cost of some 5,000 jobs.
Some 3,000 Ford employees in protective facemasks gathered at Ford’s plants at Camacari in northeast Brazil and another 500 at Taubate in the southeast, both closed with immediate effect.
“It was shocking news, the worst possible,” said Felipe Monteiro, a 34-year-old electronic technician and father of two who has worked at the Taubate factory for 16 years. Ford said Monday that losses exacerbated by the coronavirus epidemic would see it close all three its three factories in Brazil, where it has operated for a century, saying the move was “very difficult, but necessary.”