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The union’s list of demands seeks to address some key problems relating to working conditions in Carrefour Colombia and to improve some issues in the employment relationship between management and employees. The issues include wages, paid holidays, meals, job security, observance of due process in disciplinary proceedings and housing and occupational health. The collective agreement currently in force, which was not the result of real negotiations with workers, is the starting point and the union will focus on improving it in the new agreement that they will sign. The union’s demands are certainly reasonable because they would not increase the company’s wage or social security costs but they would improve working conditions and ensure a better quality of life for workers.



Any improvements, however, will depend on the negotiations, which began on March 12 and have recently gained momentum. The meetings have been intense and the final outcome cannot be predicted with any certainty. This is the first collective bargaining experience for the union and it is also the first genuine collective bargaining process that the company has taken part in. The union believes that the most important factor for success is members’ active participation in the process. The union’s bargaining power depends to a large extent on the cohesion and strength of its membership, both at national and shop level. By building the membership and by building unity among the rank-and-file members, delegates and leaders during the negotiation, the union has the best chance to negotiate a good collective agreement.



UNI Americas and UNI Commerce are following this process closely.



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