The first day of the strike called in the meat-processing industries sector has reached a 90% follow-up rate across the entire country, according to the data released by the Federation of Industry, Construction and Agri of UGT (UGT FICA), which has described the protest as a "resounding success".
For the union, this broad commitment from the workforce shows the deep dissatisfaction existing in the sector due to the absence of progress in the negotiation of the "State Collective Agreement for Meat Industries", and places responsibility for the deadlock on business organizations.
UGT FICA emphasizes that workers refuse to continue losing purchasing power and to maintain working conditions which, in their view, have no relationship with the benefits and growth that meat companies have recorded in recent years.
Among the main union demands are wage increases, a reduction in working hours, improvements in occupational health, measures that favor work-life balance, and progress regarding partial retirement.
The organization recalls that this dispute affects more than 126,000 workers and calls for recognition that the economic development of the meat-processing industry has been sustained by the effort and commitment of its workforce.
UGT FICA DEMANDS TO UNBLOCK NEGOTIATIONS
After the level of follow-up recorded on this first day, the union has called for maintaining and even strengthening participation in the upcoming days of strike called.
Likewise, it has warned that protests will continue as long as the employers do not show a real willingness to reach an agreement that improves working conditions and guarantees decent wages and greater rights for workers.
UGT FICA has reiterated its defense of collective bargaining, but has made it clear that it "will not accept an agreement that consolidates the loss of purchasing power" nor that it ignores demands for improvement in "quality employment, occupational health and work-life balance".