Power in numbers protest for worker conditions
The company Aguas Claras S.A., owned by the Chile’s second largest salmon company AquaChile S.A., is accustomed to receiving protest from worker union leaders. Last year a union in AquaChile’s largest and most important plant went on strike for a week, protesting for similar conditions that the workers at the Aguas Claras facility currently fighting for – a higher base salary, full medical insurance, worker training and other social benefits. The current minimum wage for processing plant workers is approximately US$ 600 per month, and the current battle is for a raise to US$ 700 per month. The difference in union protest strategy of late is that the unions are learning to cooperate better. This cooperative mentality is a step in the right direction towards the creation of large, powerful, and less unions than there are today, however, it looks as if it will require steadfast persistence from these union cooperatives until they are taken seriously. Despite a public campaign stating their position with Aguas Claras prior to negotiations, the company plainly shot down the unions’ stance at a collective negotiation; their argument being that they cannot guarantee an equivalent base salary for all of their processing plants due to fluctuations of processing volumes amongst the plants. The workers’ fight is for a more equalized base salary that is not as heavily dependent on production volumes, and that workers’ welfare is considered in the distribution of fish for processing.
