Displaying items by tag: Strike

Brazil: Votorantim Cimentos, Brazil's largest producer of cement and other construction materials, is still evaluating its production loss after a recent 11 day truck drivers' strike, as well as calculating the impact of minimum freight prices. Brazil’s cement sector is highly dependent on road transport, with 96% of total shipments leaving plants by road, around 54Mt/yr.

"(The strike) will certainly impact the company's annual production," Walter Dissinger, Votorantim Cimentos president said. He added that Votorantim’s cement sales fell nearly 20% in May.

Brazil: SNIC, the national cement industry union, says that 70% of cement plants have suspended operation due to a strike by truck drivers. A survey the union ran found that less than 3% of the average daily cement distributed has been delivered to its final destination since the start of the strike action on 21 May 2018.

Before industrial action started the local cement industry distributed around 200,000t/day. At the start of the strike this fell to 10,000t/day and has since dropped further to 6000t/day. Paulo Camillo Penna, president of SNIC, said that the cement industry was suffering disproportionately because plants have been affected by raw materials failing to be delivered and lack of space to store cement inventory. SNIC expects that once the strike ends, it will take two to three weeks for production at cement plants to return to normal.

Bolivia: Fábrica Nacional de Cemento (Fancesa) has increased its monthly sales target following local strikes in Chuquisaca. The company estimates that it lost US$6.95m in sales during the unrest, according to the Correo del Sur newspaper. It doesn’t intend to cut the cost of cement in Santa Cruz but it will give away a limited amount of free cement bags. Fancesa also plans to start selling bulk cement through concrete firms in the city.

Uruguay: Production has resumed at the Administración Nacional de Combustibles, Alcoholes y Portland’s (ANCAP) Minas and y Paysandú cement plants following a strike, according to the El Espectador newspaper. The disruption ended following negotiation between management, the union, the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. In April 2018 it was reported that production at the Minas plant had stopped for two months due to union action.

France: Workers at Ciments Calcia’s Airvault cement plant have gone on strike, according to the Ouest-France newspaper. They have taken industrial action in relation to an on-going pay dispute.

France: Worker’s at LafargeHolcim’s Martres-Tolosane cement plant have gone on strike over salary negotiations. A coalition of unions says that the company has refused to increase salaries despite a recovery in the cement market, according to France Info radio. The plant employs 110 workers. In mid-2017 LafargeHolcim announced that it was spending Euro100m on building a new clinker production line at the site.

UK: Strike plans by truck drivers working for Hanson Cement have been cancelled following a revised pay offer. The planned industrial action scheduled for 26 – 27 February 2018 was expected to negatively effect deliveries from the Padeswood cement plant, according to the Daily Post newspaper. The Unite union said that its members at eight depots across the UK had voted ‘overwhelmingly’ to accept an improved two-year pay deal.

About 240 workers have accepted the overall package that will mean an increase of 3.7% from 1 January 2018 and for 2019, an increase that could range from 3.4 - 4.4%. The union members of Hanson subsidiary Castle Cement are based at eight depots in the UK at Avonmouth, Bellshill in North Lanarkshire, Birmingham, Clitheroe in Lancashire, Kings Cross in London, Middlesbrough, Mold and Stamford in Lincolnshire. The company delivers bulk and ready-packed cement to customers across the UK.

UK: Drivers working for Hanson Cement are set to take strike action over what they have termed a ‘very unsatisfactory’ pay deal offer. The action is set to take place on one shift covering 26 - 27 February 2018 and will hit deliveries to and from the Padeswood plant near Mold, Wales. About 240 workers voted by 89% for strike action over the two-year pay deal.

The union Unite and the firm's management are holding last-ditch talks today (15 February 2018) in a bid to reach a settlement to avert strike action. The company is part of the HeidelbergCement Group.

The deal on offer is for a 2% pay increase from 1 January 2018, and a further increase in 2019 linked to inflation but capped at 3%.

Under the action drivers will also not spend overnights in their vehicles or use their cab phones between 26 February - 20 May 2018. They will withdraw ‘goodwill’ for the same three month period, i.e. not training of new or agency drivers.

Unite national officer for road transport Adrian Jones said, "Our members regard the two-year pay deal on the table as very unsatisfactory, given the current rate of inflation and soaring cost of living. The proposals also don't reflect the strong contribution that they make to the company's profitability.”

Hanson Cement said it had made a fresh 2.5% offer for 2018 and said further negotiations will take place. He added that they were hopeful about reaching a settlement that would avert strike action.

Tunisia: A planned strike by workers at Carthage Cement for late October to early November 2017 has been cancelled. The decision to call off the industrial action follows a meeting between Finance Minister Ridha Chalghoum and UGTT Secretary General, Noureddine Taboubi, according to African Manager. Further meetings between the management of the cement producer and the unions have been scheduled.

South Africa: Members of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) members at PPC’s Slurry cement plant in North West province have gone on strike over wages. The NUM gave the cement producer a notice to strike in mid-October 2017 and then workers started taking action on 17 October 2017. The union wants a pay rise on 12% and other benefits, but PPC has only offered 6%.