This Wednesday, June 1, the UNTMRA held a press conference to refer to the closure of the Cinter Aperam company and the tripartite meeting at the Ministry of Labor.
The Secretary of Industry of UNTMRA, Danilo Dárdano, stated that Cinter Aperam, after 65 years in Uruguay, ratified the definitive closure of operations in the country, leaving 158 direct workers and another 50 indirect workers unemployed.
He stressed that the closure of the company will also negatively affect businesses and services in the Peñarol area, where the company is located.
The UNTMRA communicated to the Labor Minister, Pablo Mieres, the union’s concern about the seriousness of the situation in the sector, which the government is not realizing.
“In recent times, several factories in the auto parts-metallurgical industry have closed (Lifan, Chery Faurencia and now Cinter Aperam) and if urgent measures are not taken, we will surely have some complicated announcement in that regard,” warned the union leader.
Dárdano said that the union has raised on more than one occasion, before the Auto Parts Sector Council, about the latent danger that other companies will leave Uruguay because the internal market is small, and Brazil continually tempts these companies with tax exemptions and other benefits.
He stressed that the sector has some benefits in Uruguay, but the truth is that 2,500 jobs have been lost and around 3,500 remain. “If we don’t reverse the government’s position, we are going to have other losses.”
He asked for more benefits for the companies, because they provide a lot of labor, but with compensation and unemployment insurance for the workers.
Likewise, the union proposed helping workers with training at INEFOP and creating a registry of employees who lose their jobs so that when new companies are installed, they are taken over.
stoppage of activities
Dárdano announced the holding of strikes of one hour per shift in factories throughout the country, for this Thursday the 2nd and Friday the 3rd.
Likewise, UNTMRA will explain the situation that the industrial area is going through. Meanwhile, next Thursday, June 9, they will carry out a general strike from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with mobilization from the Ministry of Industry to the Ministry of Economy because they are the ones who have the key to decide if they give importance to the auto parts industry – metallurgy or they will do nothing.
“This is the beginning. If there is no positive response that gives support, not only on the monetary issue, but also on unemployment insurance for Cinter workers, the union will continue to take deeper measures,” UNTMRA assured.
