Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores Metalúrgicos, Mecánicos, Metalmecánicos,
Siderúrgicos, Mineros, del Material Eléctrico y Electrónico
SINTRAMETAL SECCIÓNAL YUMBO
Personería Jurídica N° 0547 del 29 de Mayo de 1969
Expedida por el Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social
Calle 36 No. 14-52 Teléfono fax 448 11 77 - Cali
PUBLIC STATEMENT
We, workers of SIDELPA, union members of SINTRAMETAL sectional YUMBO,
denounce regionally, nationally and internationally, to the media, politicians, trade
unions and community organizations, that the Brazilian multinational Gerdau today,
June 23, 2009, announced the decision to close SIDERURGICA DEL PACIFICO
S.A. –SIDELPA- . This decision is illegal and unilateral.
Gerdau gave two reasons to close this plant located in Yumbo, Valle del Cauca,
Colombia. First, differences with the governmental agency in charge of the
environment in the area, Corporación Autónoma Regional del Valle del Cauca
C.V.C. Gerdau and CVC were fighting over the possibility that the plant was
contaminating. Gerdau is masking its decision with a false difference. CVC offered
last week to Gerdau to re-do the sampling, with full participation of the company
and the union, and, if they were negative CVC will allow the restarting of the
furnace and immediate full production. Gerdau is using the differences with CVC
as an excuse; the company will have resolved this problem with only allowing the
new sampling to be taken.
Second, Gerdau is saying that the international crisis is the second reason of the
closing of SÏDELPA. Gerdau itself provide the best response to this excuse. In a
press release dated May 7, 2009 Gerdau says: However, in March the company
observed signs of improvement in the market, with its sales volume in that month
20.7% higher than in December 2008. …. In this environment, Gerdau closed the
first quarter with revenue of R$ 7.7 billion and net income of R$ 35 million.…. In
Latin America (excluding Brazil), steel production at Gerdau units totaled 316,000
tons in the first three months of the year, up 41.1% on the previous quarter. Sales
volume was 487,000 tons, also expanding against the previous quarter, by 9.7%.
The lack of response to the CVC and the information provided by the company
show that the reasons presented are only excuses.
We believe it is important to share the real reason of this closure. After many years
of struggle, the workers of SIDELPA have a collective agreement that ensure a
superior standard of living when compared with other workers of Gerdau in other
plants in Colombia. On top, the union in SIDELPA is aggressively pursuing the
protection and improvement of the rights and benefits of its members. The real
reason of this closure is that Gerdau does not want other workers to learn from us.
They do not want that workers in other plants fight for better working conditions
and better standard of leaving using the only tool that workers have: their union.
Gerdau does not want unions in Colombia. Gerdau wants quiet workers and poor
salaries. That is the real reason of this closing; teach us and other workers a
lesson.
Without excuses, the reasons of Gerdau are simple; use this opportunity to destroy
jobs, reduce labor costs and wipe out trade unions.
The legal representative of this multinational Jorge Armando Gómez Galvao,
showing no mercy, informed us that the shareholders meeting hold today at 10 am
had decided to close immediately and indefinitely the plant, without fulfilling any its
legal obligations. This closure affects 280 permanent workers and 130 contractors.
It also affects our clients, for example Diaco Cali for whom we produce at least
9,000 tons per months. Clients, suppliers, the manufacturing sector, supermarkets
and stores will also be affected. More tan 2000 families’ en in the area will suffer
economically, psychologically and socially as result of this closure. Finally, this
closure will accelerate the destruction of the social net in Colombia. SIDELPA is
the only producer of specialty steel in Colombia and many small manufacturers
need our product, they cannot compete buying specialty steel at international
prices.
We, workers of SIDELPA will stay inside of the plant pacifically and indefinitely
defending our right to have a decent job.
We ask for your support writing to:
ANDRÉ GERDAU JOHANNPETER
Chief Executive Officer
Gerdau
Av. Farrapos, 1811
Porto Alegre – RS – Brazil
90220-005
andre.johannpeter@gerdau.com.br
INGENIERO EDUARDO ERMIDA MORETTI
President
DIETER NARBAL
MARCELA PISCIOTTI VANSTRAHLEN
GERDAU BRASIL - DIACO S.A.
Calle 99 No. 10 - 19 Piso 5 DIACO S.A. - GERDAU
diaco@diaco.com.co
imprensa@gerdau.com.br
carolina.moreno@diaco.com.co
INGENIERO JORGE ARMANDO GOMES GALVAO
General Manager
MARTHA ISABEL REYNOSO ZAMORA
Human Resources Director
Siderúrgica del Pacífico S.A. – SIDELPA -
Cra 37 No. 12 A - 63
Urbanizacion Acopi Yumbo (Valle) SIDELPA
sidelpa@colombianet.net
SINTRAMETAL SECCIONAL YUMBO
simetalyumbo@yahoo.com
Calle 36 No. 14 - 52
Atanasio Girardot de Cali
Colombia.