Crisis creates unemployment in the automotive industry

The reduction in the production of automobiles already causes layoffs at automotive chain. Layoffs are sprayed and hit mainly employees of small businesses, but comprise a labour market radically different from that of the beginning of last year around the automotive sector. From January to March 2013, the industry of transport equipment (segment that engages automakers, auto parts and other subsectors in the General Register of employed and unemployed) opened 13.9 thousand new jobs. In the same period this year, the sector closed 1,071 jobs across the country, points out the Caged.
Some automotive poles are being most affected, as the ABC paulista, Rio Gravataí and fluminense Puerto Real. On ABC, the transport equipment industry eliminated 1,746 vacancies in the first quarter, a percentage equivalent to 2.4% of all persons employed in the sector by the end of 2013.
In Gravataí and Puerto Real the absolute number of jobs cut is smaller, but the impact is proportionately greater. Gaucho city that hosts the General Motors factory the negative balance between admissions and layoffs indicates the closing of 472 jobs, equivalent to 4.9% of the total number of people employed by the sector in Gravataí. In Puerto Real, the negative balance of 371 jobs eliminated represents 6% of the total number of workers employed in the sector at the end of December.
Layoffs are sprayed and hit mainly small businesses, according to the labor unions. In some cases, the movement has not yet been realized by the entities. The syndicate of the metalurgists of Gravataí, for example, the direction considers the labour market situation "stable", says Director Jo Ascari. The information that the Caged indicates closing of 472 vacancies in the industry of transport equipment of municipality was received as a novelty. "We don't feel this reduction," said Ascari.
Another difference in the base wage agreement was the Gaucho Association. The Union has negotiated with General Motors a readjustment of 7%, which means real increase of 1.3% by the national consumer price Index (INPC), a percentage lower than the past two years when exceeded 2%.
On the basis of the ABC metal workers (Stranrear, Diadema, Rio Grande da Serra and Ribeirão Pires), Union's own survey indicates that were closed 1,012 vacancies in the automotive industry in the first quarter, very different situation of 100 vacancies created in the same period in 2013. "This movement comes from small businesses that are reducing the automakers ' requests and have no breath to insure workers," says Wagner Santana, Secretary-General of the Union.
The big automakers and autoparts, says Santana, other expedients were put into practice, such as voluntary redundancy programs, paid leave or "layoff" to avoid the dismissal of skilled workers. "But I feel the yellow sign in the sector", summarizes the trade unionist.
In other metallurgical base of ABC, the city of São Caetano, where is the factory of General Dead, 407 jobs were closed in the industry of transport equipment in the first quarter. According to the President of the local Steelworkers Union, Appeared Inácio da Silva, that number involves most of the 348 workers who have joined the Voluntary Layoff program (PDV) of GM. "The other layoffs are spread and this situation reflects the instability of the economy, the increase in interest rates, the consumer downturn," he says, criticizing what he classifies as "lack of direction of the Government in the economic area."
Caged data show that most of the workers who joined the BUYOUT from GM have taken advantage of the situation to ask for retirement. Of the 407 total jobs eliminated between January and March, 337 were shutdowns of retirement requests. Another change in the labour market at the beginning of year is reducing the number of workers who resigns. Last year, they accounted for 15% of industry shutdowns in Sao Bernardo, a percentage that fell to 7% at the beginning of 2014.
The Coordinator of the employment and unemployment survey (PED) in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Alexandre Loloian, draws attention to another change in the behavior of the job in the ABC paulista. The survey, carried out jointly by the Foundation of State Data Analysis System (Seade) and the Inter-Union Department of statistics and socioeconomic studies (Dieese), points out that in the last 12 months did increase the number of workers without a license and on its own in the region, while the total number of employed persons with officially registered fell 2%. In comparison with February 2013, total contract workers without formal bond rose 7% and the autonomous, 17%.
"This behavior run the pattern of recent years and the increase of these vacancies reflects the insecurity of employers and the demand for another occupation to prevent unemployment," says Loloian. In the region, the unemployment rate is behaving, for the time being, within the standard. Stayed at 10.3% in February, up from 9.5 percent in the same month of last year. In the industry, were closed 34 thousand jobs since December, of which six thousand in the metal-mechanic sector, but this movement is normal at the beginning of the year, ponders Loloian.
Santana, the ABC metal workers, lists three fronts of negotiation to try to minimize and contain the negative effect of falling production on employment. A programme of refurbishment of the fleet of trucks (with credit for the purchase of new trucks), credit for cars with support from public banks (last year, CITES him, 1.6 million requests have been denied credit and only 20% of them were met could have an extra market of 300 thousand vehicles) and new employment protection rulesby expanding the use of the so-called "layoff". By current rules, he says, the use of this instrument is limited to five months and the value of unemployment insurance.
The Union, along with the Central Única dos Trabalhadores (CUT), suggested the Government create a fund with additional fine features of 10% of the FGTS balance (which already exists) to offset part of the costs that companies have in the removal of an employee. Sachdev explains that in the case of a reduction of 20% journey, this Fund could be used to prevent wage reduction. In this case, the custearia fund part of the wage reduction, which would have cut 20% proportional.