Forwarded message: >From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fri Aug 29 21:50 PDT 1997 X-Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] MIME-Version: 1.0 Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Sat, 30 Aug 1997 00:23:40 -0400 Reply-To: Forum on Labor in the Global Economy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sender: Forum on Labor in the Global Economy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: Mauricio Cardenas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Strike at GM Plant in Colombia To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In-Reply-To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Content-Length: 799 GM workers in Colombia, South America, started a strike which shut down manufacturing and assembly operations at a plant which produces 40,000 vehicles a year. Strikers demanded that the current two-tier hiring system be eliminated. More than half of the 1,700 workers are temps who get a fraction of the regular wage and benefits gotten by permanent workers. Some of the temps have been hired over and over again during the last 7 years, without getting the option of a permanent contract. Is is the first time in 14 years that GM workers go on strike. They are represented by a company-level union that comprises slightly over one third of the total number of workers. GM has assembled vehicles in Colombia for 30 years now. Its market share (including imports) in the country is over 30 percent.
