Juan Martini | Photo: Nelson GodoyInterviewed by La Rel, Juan Martini, president of the Federation of Tobacco Workers of the Republic of Argentina (FTTRA), informed that there is no change in the situation of the workers of British American Tobacco (formerly Nobleza Piccardo) who were laid off nearly a month ago.
“We are still waiting for the Ministry of Labor to issue a resolution with respect to the situation of our fellow workers, who were let go arbitrarily and unilaterally by the company BAT Argentina,” Martini stressed.
In mid May, the company began outsourcing activities, laying off the workers who dispatched cigarettes at the Martínez plant and replacing them with transport workers belonging to a different union.
According to the trade union leader, the company persists with what is an irregularity and clearly violates the collective bargaining agreement it signed with the sector.
The FTTR has been invited by the General Secretariat of the IUF to participate in a virtual meeting entitled “Why is British American Tobacco not guaranteeing the human rights of workers in its supply chain?”, scheduled to be held on June 24.
“We have to wait for the Ministry’s resolution before we adopt any new measures, but we will be presenting the situation of these workers at the meeting organized by our International Federation, which will be attended by several leaders from around the world connected with BAT,” Martini announced.