Employees from Venezuela's aluminum sector have begun an "operation turtle," a tactic of slowing production to pressure the companies Alcasa, Venalum, Carbonorca and Bauxilum, in which over 10,000 workers are involved.
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Companies / Entities
C.V.G. Aluminio del Caroni S.A.
C.V.G. Venezolana de Aluminio C.A.
Keywords
Alumina/Aluminum
"We started the operation at companies in the sector to demand investments in technological upgrades and so the government will define the issue of a salary raise," said Juan Salas, head of the Sutralumina union.
Unions at the four companies have been threatening to reject the offer of a 10% salary increase suggested by the country's basic industries and mining ministry by calling a strike.
Employees are requesting pay raises of 13%, 14% and 15% for employees with good, very good and excellent performance, respectively.
On Thursday, union leaders issued a petition of reconciliation to the labor ministry's inspection department as part of a process to carry out a legal strike. "This move means we are running out of options for reaching an accord," he said.
"After presenting the petition, we plan to take more action but I won't say what kind because then they will be waiting for us with the national guard," the leader said.
The collective measures taken by aluminum sector employees has gained speed since the unions proposed that the government negotiate a single collective contract for all parties as of 2009 with the goal of bringing sector companies together into a single entity.
The four companies are part of Venezuela's aluminum production chain and are all subsidiaries of state heavy industry holding company CVG.
