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Deputy Secretary General Cencosud Union, Silvana Rios Tapia told the UNI Commerce Conference how Peru commerce unions have fought back against anti-union companies in the country.

She then introduced a video which tells their powerful story.

 

 

 

UNI COMMERCE PERU VIDEO:

MOISES VEGA ROMERO – CGTP National Organization Secretary

- Our country has experienced nearly 11 years of economic growth and during that time all governments have assured us that such growth would benefit not only the population but also workers.

ANA MARIA LOYOLA CALDERON – General Secretary Ripley Trade Union

- Growth has been wonderful for investors in the country, but the workers have not seen its benefits. There are none.

MELCHOR B. FERNANDEZ – General Secretary Totus Union

- The minimum wage in Peru today does not cover workers' basic needs

LUIS CASTILLO – CGTP Sec of Labour Defence

- We lag behind because our minimum wage is the lowest in Latin America, so workers' economic situation and livelihood is extremely precarious.

GUSTAVO TRIANI – UNI Americas Commerce

- Multinationals have quickly gained a footing in Peru; examples are Ripley, Cencosud and Falabella. These multinationals have lent political support to free trade agreements, such as TISA and TPP, that harm the interests and rights of workers.

MOISES VEGA ROMERO – CGTP National Organization Secretary

-The law makes it easy for these companies to pay workers precarious wages. They offer certain working conditions, but then they don´t live up to them.

KAREN ASTROSA – Cencosud employee

- There is a lot of injustice in the company, so although you´re supposed to work 8 hours you stay on for another 2, by turns they keep us at work for 12 hours, they make us come in on our days off.

SILVANA RIOS TAPIA – Deputy Secretary General Cencosud Union

- They even lock the door so we cannot leave, that's how far they go. Any mistreatment that you can imagine, we have experienced.

VERONICA RUTREJO PEREZ – Minutes Secretary Cencosud Union

- This is a struggle, a struggle against those who exploit us, the workers.

SILVANA RIOS TAPIA – Deputy Secretary General Cencosud Union

- We found out they were setting up a union and so I decided to affiliate my workmates and they were keen to join because of the mistreatment they'd suffered.

VERONICA RUTREJO PEREZ – MINUTES SECRETARY CENCOSUD UNION

- We needed to seek protection, we were united by a single thought – to defend our rights.

SEGUNDO ANTONIO GUEVARA SANCHEZ – General Secretary Cencosud Union

- The union is about getting respect for rights that are not complied with here in Peru.

MELCHOR B. FERNANDEZ

- It is not easy to set up a trade union here in Peru. The union was founded in 2011 because of how we workers felt when our rights were trampled.

ANA MARIA LOYOLA CALDERON – Sec General Ripley Trade Union

- The company is anti-union up to the present day. And when the union appeared, the company attacked the leaders of the union.

My employer is anti-union and does not pass on much of its growth to the workers. This happens in other companies such as Saga and Totus.

MOISES VEGA ROMERO- National CGTP Organization Secretary

- If workers want to join or establish a union, the first thing the company does is create fear, for example it tells them that if they are members of the union, they will lose their jobs with the company. Of course, as people are on short-term contracts they are told their contracts won't be renewed. They use these contracts to pressure workers.

SILVANA DE LOS MILAGROS RIOS TAPIA – Deputy Secretary General Cencosud Union

- From the company´s point of view, the less knowledge we have, the better, because then they can violate our rights.

ANA MARIA LOYOLA CALDERON – General Secretary Ripley Trade Union

- The main thing is to increase our strength and we've embarked on the difficult task of training so that employees are aware of their rights and their duties.

MELCHOR B. FERNANDEZ

- It’s not easy to deceive a worker who knows his rights.

VERONICA RUTREJO PEREZ – Minutes Secretary Cencosud Union

- We're making ground with the companies despite the harassment we suffer, but there are limits to what they can do, they know who they are up against.

GUSTAVO TRIANI – UNI COMMERCE

- If workers don't organize regionally and globally against these global corporations, the struggle will be very one-sided.

 

MOISES VEGA ROMERO- NATIONAL ORGANIZATION SECRETARY

- I believe that national and international trade union unity is vital, our slogan today is Organization, Unity and Struggle - it's the only way.

SEGUNDO ANTONIO GUEVARA SANCHEZ - GEN SEC CENCOSUD UNION

- We have achieved satisfactory growth, thanks to UNI America for its unwavering support.

DEMONSTRATOR

- We want decent work!

SEGUNDO ANTONIO GUEVARA SANCHEZ - GEN SEC CENCOSUD UNION

- We want to grow a lot more, 2 or 3 thousand if possible, to organize all we can.

MOISES VEGA ROMERO- NATIONAL ORGANIZATION SECRETARY

- I think there's great potential, if we do good recruitment work in the commerce sector then we could organize something like 20 or 30 thousand workers.

VERONICA RUTREJO PEREZ – MINUTES SECRETARY CENCOSUD UNION

- We've achieved a great deal, in particular in our own self-worth.

SILVANA DE LOS MILAGROS RIOS TAPIA – DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL CENCOSUD UNION

- We're working our 8 hours and now getting weekends and holidays off

GUSTAVO TRIANI – UNI COMMERCE

- You are making history; you are changing destinies...

Worker 1

- We were successful because of the persistence of our union´s executive board and the iron will of the many brothers and sisters who refused to give up

Worker 2

- And make them feel that the union belongs to everyone

Worker 1

- If we are just a handful to defend ourselves as workers

Worker 2

- If we all stand united, this is a great objective and we are convinced that we will get bigger

VERONICA RUTREJO PEREZ – MINUTES SECRETARY CENCOSUD UNION

- For us, for our families, ever onwards.

 

When we began working in the commerce sector in Peru in 2012, we had just one affiliated union with some 500 workers and no collective agreement.

In just four years, we have set up five unions and signed five collective agreements, covering 2,000 organized workers.

Thank you HK Denmark for your support.