Since 25 February, the workers at the factory of Productos Florida SA near Valencia, Spain, have been on an indefinite strike. The main demand of the workers is that all pseudo self-employed workers get regular employment contracts – and thus basic workers’ rights.
The strikers set up a camp outside the factory gates. Some of the workforce even went on hunger strike. The workers organised rallies and demonstrations, including in Barcelona (headquarters of the parent company, the Servicarne Cooperative) and Madrid (headquarters of the Ministry of Labour).
The corona pandemic forced the workers to dismantle the camp, stop rallies and picket lines, and also end the hunger strike. It looks like the labour struggle will continue for some time. However 95% of affected workers continue to strike. For the migrant workers this means, among other things, homelessness, dependence on strike money, lack of health care, and increasingly unclear residence status the longer the conflict continues.
In this situation, the striking workers and their union, CNT Valencia, are asking for two things: financial support of the strike funds and external pressure.
Bank details:
Bank: CAJA DE INGENIEROS
Account holder: SINDICATO OFICIOS VARIOS VALENCIA CNT
IBAN: ES81 3025 0010 2514 0003 9305
Subject: Strike
PayPal: valencia@cnt.es
Channels to make pressure:
- Mail address of the company: florida@productosflorida.es
- Contact number of the company: +34 96 455 10 24
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/senorpollo/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/senyor_pollo/
- Mail address of the parent company: servicarne@servicarne.com
- List of Spanish embassies and consulates
Background:
Servicarne & Productos Florida are two of the largest suppliers of meat and poultry products in Spain, producing for some of the largest supermarket chains there. Despite, or perhaps because of this consolidated market position, they ruthlessly exploit the mostly migrant workers as pseudo self-employed without any rights.
Together with their union, CNT Valencia, the local workers have been in a long conflict with both companies. The aim is to bring about legal employment, protection against dismissal, sick pay and other labour standards in order to provide at least a minimum of basic security for the workers and their families. However, until now the companies have always reacted to judicial victories by founding new fake companies and with other tricks.
For those who face a moral dilemma when it comes to supporting a struggle within the meat industry, do not forget that the often-criticized dumping prices of meats are not only based on the massive subsidies the meat industry enjoys, but also on the extreme exploitation of workers as is the case at Productos Florida.
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