Non-unionized Frigocerro workers they delivered a letter to the company’s management, which they also sent to the newspaper Durazno Digital, in which They denounce that the union has “tortured them economically, physically and emotionally” while the conflict with the owner of the refrigerator has lasted.
Several months ago, the Frigocerro workers’ union (with the support of the Federation of Workers of the Meat and Related Industry, Foica), remains in conflict denouncing irregularities by the company, such as layoffs and breach of signed agreements.
Rosana Fraigola, a worker in the deboning area of Frigocerro, who has been with the company for 20 years, told The Observer that the workers organized to express their discontent in a letter. “Why do we have to keep our mouths shut if we have the same rights?” he wondered.
sticks in the wheel
As he expressed, being able to do three tasks per week, the refrigerator is with only one weekly task because the operation has been complicated on several occasions due to the abandonment of the workplace of those who carry out mobilizations.
“Last year we lost silver because the harvest was lost, and now we are in the same situation,” highlighted the Frigocerro worker.
As indicated, The workers agree that the union is trying to damage the image of the company, beyond claiming for their labor rights. “There are few who put spokes in the wheel, and people realized that it is manipulation to close the company Y people don’t want to be jobless”, Fraigola said.
Diego Ortíz, owner of the refrigerator, told The Observer that there are about 30 unionized workersa minority within the campus, and that there are several who, despite being unionized, have not joined the mobilizations and strikes carried out.
In the letter, the workers say they are “totally opposed” to the union movement, and ask that a “battle” be disclosed in which they have fought “tirelessly” to keep their jobs.
Unionized Frigocerro workers at a recent protest, walking to Montevideo.
“Rams, lambetas and suckers”
As they mention, they do not agree with the claims “nor with the way in which they have handled themselves with the employer and with our colleagues.” “We leave here reflected our utter disgust with the ways they have been handled, from the first day, when they began to call us rams, lambetas and chupamedias. Completely forgetting respect and education towards us and towards the owner of the company, ”he adds.
The letter also states that 2022 began with a battle “against a group of intolerant, lazy and bullying people who, protected by something that was created for a good purpose (the union), have used it to overwhelm and trample on our rights, forgetting that we are also workers. And that even though we are not in agreement with our thinking, we have every right in the world to be satisfied and grateful with our source of work, and to defend our source of work as we have been doing, working”.
The workers make it clear that at all times they have fulfilled the tasks assigned to them, since they do not choose their positions and do not deny what they have been asked to do. “The company has our commitment and delivery, total and absolute”, they expressed.
“That they see our situation and that this tireless work that they are doing to harm the image of the company is finished, that they know how financially, physically and emotionally they have tortured us throughout this yearWell, while they have time to visit radio stations, take walks and events to tarnish the good name of our company, we have put our claws on it and we have defended our source of workcovering the positions that they left vacant, carrying out tasks and whole desolate and not for lambetas or rams, but because we have a social conscience and we are grateful for the precious work we have, knowing how many Uruguayans would like to have our luck, ”says the text .
