Ford yesterday reached an agreement with workers to end a three-day strike at its Camacari car plant in Brazil’s north-eastern state of Bahia, the Financial Times (FT) said.
According to the paper, citing Ford, unions accepted an immediate salary increase of 8.1% on average, as well as a reduction in their monthly contributions to transportation costs equal to a further 2% of salaries.
Other monthly salary deductions would be reduced by a further 2% as of May, said with Ford Brasil communications director Rogelio Golfarb told the FT, adding: “We are happy with the result. The impact (on the company) is minimal.” Agreement on the same proposal made by Ford last week came only hours before a labour tribunal was to rule on the legality of the strike, the paper noted.
Golfarb told the FT operations at the plant, where Ford recently started production of a new model known as the EcoSport, would resume on Tuesday. Workers had also agreed to compensate part of the losses by working two Saturdays, he added.
The Financial Times said the strike had been watched closely, as Ford is in the midst of implementing what it late last year called a “fifth and final plan” to achieve break-even at its South American operations.
Ford has not been profitable on an annual basis in South America since the dissolution of a joint venture with Volkswagen of Germany there in 1994, the paper noted.
