Conaprole and the Suspension of Labor Measures Following an Agreement with Castillo

The Minister of Labor and Social Security of Uruguay, Juan Castillo, has successfully facilitated the temporary suspension of labor actions taken by the union of Conaprole, the Asociación de Obreros y Empleados de Conaprole (AOEC). This comes amidst an ongoing conflict that has led to the discarding of thousands of liters of butter whey and financial losses for dairy producers.

The dispute originated from Conaprole's decision to shut down its plant number 14 in Rivera. In response, the union commenced a 'work-to-rule' campaign nearly a month ago, which slowed operations and substantially affected the production and distribution of dairy products.

According to company data, the conflict resulted in the waste of 139,000 liters of butter whey and caused an overflow of milk at producers' farms, forcing them to discard some of their produce. Additionally, shortages of dairy products have been reported in stores and supermarkets nationwide.

Minister Castillo intervened by calling for a tripartite meeting scheduled for the upcoming Monday, involving representatives from the Ministry of Labor, Conaprole, PIT-CNT, and AOEC. While the union agreed to halt the harsher measures to allow for negotiations, it will continue holding assemblies and maintaining work-to-rule conditions until then. Monday's meeting is expected to be pivotal, as it may determine the path forward.