Striking Workers at Chevrolet Distributor in Punta Arenas Demand Fair Negotiations Amid Management Intimidation

Original article: Conflicto en Punta Arenas: Trabajadores de distribuidora de Chevrolet inician huelga por imposición de la gerencia

The mobilization of the Divemotor Union commenced as a response to management’s refusal to negotiate and a series of anti-union practices.

This Monday marked the start of a protest by employees of the Chevrolet distributor, ignited when the local company refused to acknowledge the union’s existence due to quorum issues, despite it being active for over a decade—since 2014. Walter Cárcamo, the union president who has worked there for 30 years, stated that the company has maintained an inflexible stance aimed at diminishing historic labor rights, leading to widespread frustration among workers.

Cárcamo describes the negotiations as evolving into «impositions» rather than flexible dialogue. According to him, the company’s proposal consisted of reducing long-held entitlements, impacting benefits such as meal allowances—which were unilaterally eliminated—and seeking cuts to historically acquired bonuses. Currently, the union members, mainly mechanics with a base salary of minimum wage ($529,000), which is supplemented by performance-based percentages, initially asked for a 10% increase, which was later reduced to only 2%, equivalent to $10,000 per worker. They are also demanding that, «We keep our baseline because they want to cut it by half,» the leader added.

The union currently operates with seven members and is primarily composed of older generation workers, who once numbered 20, but they recall that anti-union attitudes have surfaced at various times. Cárcamo recounts an incident where the sales manager refused to sign a document from the Labor Inspection and demanded the list of union members: «Wanting to know who is on the list is anti-union,» Cárcamo asserted, adding that this necessitated filing a complaint with the Labor Inspection.

The situation was already tense, as in a prior meeting, Cárcamo was summoned to management. In that meeting, Cerón showed him figures on the computer and issued threatening warnings while typing: «If I want, I can make the union disappear,» he recalls. Cerón also suggested disbanding the union or threatening bankruptcy and refusing to pay any workers: «With four, why will they continue,» the executive allegedly said. These threats, combined with the company’s refusal to negotiate and the rollback of rights, pushed workers to initiate the strike despite the weakness of their funds.

The protest began earlier this week in front of the Zona Franca location. Cárcamo reports that the reaction was immediate and hostile, as staff and law enforcement arrived to attempt to evict them. Although the officers confirmed that the demonstration is peaceful and does not obstruct traffic, the pressure has not eased. Recently, an individual presented themselves at the home of the union president with a complaint document, which he interprets as another attempt at intimidation.

Despite the pressures, the strike continues, aiming to shed light on practices that threaten union freedom in the region.