According to the Chilean newspaper La Tercera, after Chile’s government made indications to the labour reform project. Once again, the Society of Manufacture Promotion (Sofofa) stated its objections to the initiative and pointed out the ambiguity of the concept “necessary adaptations”, which was proposed by the Executive Power in the case of workers who do not participate in strikes.

“The idea of necessary adaptations, as it was called by the government, is a euphemism that aims to look good for every party. However, the truth is that it does not solve the problem. Instead, it makes it deeper and more complex, as it leaves room for individual interpretations that will lead us to the litigation of labour relations and will not prevent a work stoppage at companies” said Sofofa’s President, Hermann von Mühlenbrock.

Sofofa presented a proposal with 14 measures to reform the labour market. None of these ideas was considered in the final text which is currently being discussed in the parliament. Von Mühlenbrock said that the indications will not cause changes in terms of union ownership and benefits’ extension. “The basis of the project remains intact. There were attempts to improve the initiative, but clearly the final result was not positive”.

Sofofa’s president pointed out that “the government has already promoted a tax reform which had to be corrected while being implemented and now it insists with a labour project based on the reality of the 1970’s. Intercompany negotiations for micro and small companies will have very negative consequences as it will imply imposing one company’s reality to another”.

“Right from the beginning we claimed that this reform does not suit the needs of 7 million Chileans who work in the private sector. This reform was launched due to the pressure of union leaders who represent a very small group of workers. The effects will be extremely negative for companies and workers. In other words, it will have a terrible impact on Chilean families, particularly among vulnerable groups of people”, added the leader.

The National Chamber of Trade (CNC) also criticized the project’s indications. “Even though we appreciate the intention of reinstating the concept of necessary adaptations, the risk for companies prevails as, in the case of strikes, these organizations will not be fit to comply with the contractual or financial commitments due to the stoppage of activities.  The imposition of a stoppage structure with not real option of replacement risks the labour source of workers and ignores the will of those not involved in the strike”, said spokesmen from CNC.

The CNC also complained about the measure that seeks to reinstate intercompany negotiation as mandatory, and said that it represents a setback as it does not consider the particular situation of every company.

Source: La Tercera