“In order for the strike to break out and for it to be valid, it is essential that the compañeros of the first shift on January 11 stop working exactly at 11:00 in the morning on the dot, not one minute before nor one minute after, exactly at They must stop working at 11, pick up their things and leave the company immediately, without checking out. We would also notify them a few minutes before by message”, indicated a document distributed among the union members and provided to Expansion.
It is not the first time in Mexico that an independent union seeks a salary increase in line with or above inflation. Last year, after the election of the National Independent Union of Workers of the Automotive Industry at the General Motors plant in Silao, Guanajuato, the group held talks with the automaker for more than three months to agree on an increase of more than 5%. , above the general inflation of that time.
For three years in a row, Audi and SITAUDI had agreed to a salary increase of 5.4%. For this year, after the rise in energy prices and the high levels of inflation, the company had proposed an increase in 8.4%Which was rejected by two thirds of the members of the union.
“An international plant”
Christine Kuhlmeyer, director of corporate communication for the plant, stressed Tuesday in a meeting with the media that the firm “did not want a strike”, since the negotiations were continuing and were being carried out from the offices of the Federal Center for Conciliation and Registration. Labor in Mexico City. However, Audi already had a Roadmap in the event of the outbreak of a strike.
“Obviously, we already have it, that is what should be done (a plan in case of a strike), more so because it is an international plant. There are always measures to recover the volume that we would lose, but that is hypothetical. If it’s one or two days (of stoppages due to a strike) nothing happens, you can work, but if it’s two or three months it’s already different, ”he added.
The Audi complex in Puebla is the newest, and the only one in America, in the network of plants of the brand with the four rings. Since 2016 it has been dedicated to assembling all versions of the Q5 model and, from 2027, it will also produce an electric variant.
“For Audi México, maintaining labor guarantees for its collaborators is essential, as well as the economic stability of each of the members of the workforce, which is the highest priority for the company. In this way, we ensure the continuity of its operations, which represents a common benefit for all collaborators in the region,” the company added in a statement.