Vehicle manufacturers in Venezuela are concerned at a strike called by workers at Vivex, the principal supplier of autoglass in the country. The industrial action paralysed activities at the Vivex pla…
Vehicle manufacturers in Venezuela are concerned at a strike called by workers at Vivex, the principal supplier of autoglass in the country. The industrial action paralysed activities at the Vivex plant in Barcelona (Anzotegui state) Germn lvarez, director of supplies for General Motors in Venezuela said the Vivex strike had caused a production stoppage affecting 110 Aveo and 100 Spark models. Although the company has a Columbian supplier, tax accords prevent the use of the foreign-supplied glass in certain vehicles which are sold net of VAT. Vctor Quintero, the executive vice-president of MMC Automotriz, which markets vehicles under the Hyundai and Mitsubishi trademarks, said it was still able to produce but the vehicles were incomplete as the firm had exhausted its stocks of glass. At Ford Andina, meanwhile, the strike did not take the company unprepared: public relations chief Nelson Matamoros said the firm was aware of the problem before the elections and had taken the necessary measures with its suppliers to ensure that production for 2006 would be unaffected. The origin of the stoppage at Vivex is the lapsed contract which expired 17 months ago and other demands including a wage rise of VEB 10,000 a day, the activation of hospitalization, surgery and maternity insurance, scholarships for the children of workers and the rehiring of five managers fired three years ago for supporting workers.