The automaker Caoa Chery made official the dismissal of 446 employees at the Jacareí plant (80 km from SP), after failing to reach an agreement with the Workers Union of São José dos Campos e Região. Professionals are being informed of the termination by means of telegrams.
Correspondence about the termination of contracts began to arrive this Wednesday (25), according to representatives of the metallurgists. The union claims to have counted 580 telegrams. The closing of the Jacareí unit, Chery’s first outside China, was announced in early May.
The automaker claims to have opted for the telegram to avoid generating insecurity at the site, as a group of unionists would be blocking access to the factory gate. In addition, employees are no longer attending the unit since they went on paid leave two months ago.
On Thursday morning (26), a group of around 200 metalworkers from Jacareí and Caçapava (130 km from São Paulo) gathered in the free span of Masp, in the central region of São Paulo, for a protest.
The layoffs had already been announced in early May, after the factory closed the unit’s activities to begin a process of remodeling the factory for the production of electric cars. Since then, the automaker and the union tried to reach an agreement regarding the dismissals.
The metallurgists want the company to accept the lay-off (temporary suspension of employment contracts) already approved at a meeting that had been approved at a meeting, after a negotiation meeting with the factory. The company said it cannot adhere to the lay-off, as the process of restructuring the establishment and the factory’s machinery should take more than two years to complete.
The communiqué also highlights that the temporary suspension of work –admitted in Brazilian legislation– is intended for cases of suspension of activities with a rapid resumption of production and work, which would not be the case. “Employees’ layoffs are certain, because they will not have any function for all the months of stoppage of activity in that factory”, the note continues.
AUDIENCES AT MPT DID NOT RESULT
Representatives of the company and the union participated in two hearings mediated by the MPT (Ministério Público do Trabalho), but the parties did not reach an agreement. The MPT even proposed to Caoa Chery the payment of up to 20 salaries as individual compensation to reduce the social impact caused by the layoffs.
The promoter who mediated the meeting also suggested maintaining the health and dental plans, and the meal vouchers for a period of not less than 18 months (one and a half years), in addition to the commitment that, when reopening the unit, the company prioritizes the hiring of terminated workers.
However, Caoa Chery maintained the initial proposal presented to the union entity for compensation of up to 15 salaries for employees with more than five years of registration, in addition to severance pay for the termination of contracts. The salary limit for the calculation is R$ 5,000.
On Tuesday (24), a group of about 200 workers promoted an hour and a half protest at the factory against the proposal presented by the company. The automaker considered the episode to be regrettable and said damage had been reported, although it did not specify what types of damage.
UNION WILL FILE PUBLIC CIVIL ACTION
The union informed that this Thursday (26) it will file a public civil action in the Labor Court in Jacareí, asking for the cancellation of the layoffs. The category considers arbitrary cuts.
Weller Gonçalves, president of the entity, evaluated the sending of the telegrams as unacceptable. In a statement, he said he will demand measures from the public authorities to prevent layoffs.
“The workers have already demonstrated, in all the demonstrations, that they are willing to fight to the end to preserve their jobs.” He also stated that the entity will take appropriate measures against these dismissals.
Opened in 2014, Chery’s factory in Jacareí was the automaker’s first outside China and produces the Tiggo 3x and Arrizo 6 Pro vehicles. The company has another factory, in Anápolis (GO), where Hyundai and Chery models are assembled. The purchase of 50.7% of Chery by Caoa was made in 2017, for US$ 2 billion at the time (about R$ 10.06 billion at the current price).
According to the automaker, production will be intensified in Anápolis. The company’s intention is to produce hybrid and electric cars. The closure in Jacareí would be temporary, until December 2023. To the union, however, Caoa Chery says that the calendar of changes may extend until 2025, and there are no guarantees of rehiring.
The closing of the unit adds to the crisis in the automotive sector, which began with the end of Ford’s activities, in São Bernardo do Campo (ABC), in 2019, ending an era of production in Brazil.
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