National Beer Factories (FNC) announced the closure of its plant in Mines for “problems of competitiveness”, a situation that triggers a union conflict and could lead to a strike of the Federation of Beverage Workers and Employees (FOEB).
From FNC they argued that there were four main factors to move forward with the decision, among them “the high costs of production of Uruguay compared to other countries in the region.”
Another aspect that weighed on the factory’s decision was “the growing import of low-cost cans that reach values that are impossible to match with the current conditions in Uruguay for the national industry.”
Finally, FNC mentioned “the smaller scale of local production and low productivity”, as well as “the tax pressure which is especially distorting in returnable beers”, while warning that there is a idle capacity of more than 50%, making the situation “unsustainable.”
The discussion about jobs
From the company they indicated that they will make “the greatest effort to seek all possibilities of relocation and reintegration for all the people who currently work at the Minas plant”, by expressing the idea of concentrating production in Montevideo.
Faced with this panorama, the president of FOEB, Fernando Ferreira, He warned in dialogue with Telemundo that up to 150 jobs could be lost, so he is awaiting a tripartite meeting to reach a solution.
“On Monday they are going to have a meeting between the ministry and the company and from there we will see how we continue the collective bargaining with our mission as a union to keep both plants open,” Ferreira anticipated.
Regarding the closure of the Minas plant, he assured: “We have presented alternatives to legislators, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the departmental administration.” “We are willing to negotiate some solutions that allow both factories to remain open,” said Ferreira and warned that, if there is no agreement, a deal cannot be ruled out. general strike.
Source: Ambito
