FF Mercantil, a company from Araxá-Minas Gerais, responsible for products of the Brazilian brand Finta and the Italian brand Lotto, keep their employees in a regime of extremely precarious work conditions and use different means to prevent them from organizing to resist their exploitation: the workers don't receive extra money for working in unhealthy conditions, they are exposed to excessive heat, they receive less than the minimum wage and many are the victims of humiliation, persecution and blackmail. The latest maneouvre to persecute by the bosses occured on March 22, with the dismissal of Ícaro Poletto, member of Sindivários Araxá, belonging to the Workers Federation of Minas Gerais, who was struggling together with his comrades to fight for their rights. The workers who did not surrender to the bosses are still being repressed.
FF Mercantil is connected to Filon Confecções in the city of São Paulo. We don't know what the conditions the workers have in Filon, but they are probably not different than the ones in Araxá, since both places employ the same logic, the logic of Capital, which always supercedes the rights of the individual and the well-being of the workers, constantly sacrificed to maximalize profits.
We demand that our comrade is reinstated, that the policies of repressing the free organziation of the workers end and the following demands of the workers of Araxá be met:
- Reduction of the working day to 8 hours ;
- Adoption of the English working week (from Monday to Friday);
- Extra payments for working in unhealthy conditions ;
- Agreement to participate in the profits;
- Instalation of devices to reduce the heat inside the factory;
- Respect of the workers' rights to organize.
DON'T BUY PRODICTS MADE WITH SEMI-SLAVE LABOUR!
FOR THE REINSTATMENT OF ÍCARO POLETTO!
FOR UNION FREEDOM!
The comrade was dismissed but we should continue our permanent boycott in support of his reinstatement and in support of those working there.
Economic boycott is our best weapon of pressure.
It's necessary to surround the factory and its directors, forcing them to respect the rights of the workers.
Without constant struggle there are no social rights!
We appeal for international solidarity!
FORGSCOB/AIT
SOCIAL RIGHTS ARE NOT CHARITY FROM THE BOSSES – THEY ARE THE SOCIAL ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE WORKERS!
