Uruguay:
The sad situation of tree plantation workers
In Uruguay
we have entered the 21st century as witnesses to the transformation
of the landscape throughout the length and breadth of the country.
Plantations of eucalyptus and pine trees seem to have invaded
every type of terrain. This geographical transformation has also
had a direct social impact, affecting numerous aspects of life.
The influx
of capital invested in forestry operations (primarily foreign-owned)
and the immediate establishment of monoculture tree plantations
marked the inception of a new pyramid of social and work categories:
contractors, sub-contractors and a wide base of plantation workers,
who have participated in these enterprises from the first stages
of ant eradication and nursery building through to the harvesting
of the wood lured by dreams of a better future.
Vacant fields
and abandoned farm buildings, storage sheds and vehicles were
rapidly transformed into makeshift “rooming houses”. And in areas
where there was simply no infrastructure at all, flimsy tents
or shelters built from branches and plastic sheeting, easily confused
with livestock pens, become the living quarters of the work crews.
For many workers,
employment on tree plantations has meant overcrowding, promiscuity
and dismal working conditions, the most outstanding and widespread
characteristic of an industry that was hailed as promising economic
well-being and prosperity for large sectors of the population.
At the same time, a series of other factors emerged that have
combined to create labour conditions that are far from encouraging:
the occurrence of serious work-related accidents, the appearance
of diseases associated with poor nutrition and lack of hygiene,
low salaries or unpaid wages, and cattle rustling and bitter mate
tea as the only means of survival.
The Uruguayan
government has failed to implement any plans for monitoring and
controlling working conditions in this sector through the pertinent
state agency. The justification used for this is that there have
been no complaints received from the workers. Nevertheless, the
general tone of the policy followed is essentially to intervene
as little as possible; this is made clear by the official statistics
themselves. Aside from this basic lack of oversight policies,
the most obvious obstacle is the complete lack of four-wheel drive
vehicles that would make it possible for inspectors to reach the
different worksites, a situation that has remained unchanged for
several years. The decrease in the number of labour inspections
carried out on tree plantations is inversely related to the continuous
increase in the area of land planted and the volume of wood harvested.
The subjection
to the worst imaginable labour conditions suffered by part of
the workforce in the sector has not led to an increase in complaints
to the competent authorities. The number of complaints registered
has been slight. There are a number of reasons for this. One is
the lack of awareness of the labour rights that protect workers
as the weakest party in labour relations. Another reason, and
perhaps the most important, is the fact that workers are afraid
of being identified as the person responsible for lodging a complaint
and consequently losing any possibility of finding employment
in the future.
Thousands of
workers are transported daily from cities and towns like Rivera
and Tranqueras to different worksites. Other workers migrate to
towns and villages like Perseverano, Castillos, Greco, Punta del
Chileno, Aguas Blancas, Villa del Carmen, Piedra Colorada, and
many others, in search of employment opportunities regardless
of the working conditions entailed. Many of them spend days or
even weeks sleeping outdoors or in makeshift shelters hoping that
they will be able to work and make enough money to return home.
Paso de La
Cruz is a town that abandoned its traditional activities of cattle
and citrus fruit farming to devote itself entirely to the tree
plantation industry. It is located in the department (province)
of Río Negro, a few kilometres from National Highway No. 25.
Rows of houses
that stretch along a gravel road are home to a permanent population
of approximately 400 residents. The town has several stores, a
multi-purpose community hall, a police detachment and a doctor
who visits the area on a fairly regular basis. Communication by
mobile phone is largely a matter of luck. As you walk down the
main street, the chainsaws, hard hats and other equipment you
see in almost every front yard very clearly reflect the main activity
of the townspeople. During the day, dozens of logging trucks pass
through loaded down with timber, while heavy machinery owned by
the local government struggles to maintain the only route in and
out of town in usable condition.
The forestry
companies operating here prohibit work crews from spending the
night on their lands. As a result, during the harvesting season,
more than 200 workers commute many kilometres to set up their
camps in town. Some manage to rent abandoned houses, but the majority
are forced to bunk down in open fields, vacant lots or along the
roadside. During the night, the fires that workers build to sit
around and share mate tea are the only form of street lighting.
While some
of the local residents interviewed highlighted the positive aspect
of the fact that there is no unemployment in the town, they did
not hide their discomfort and concern over such problems as alcoholism,
prostitution, cattle rustling, broken promises with regard to
salaries, and the payment of wages with vouchers that can only
be redeemed in certain stores. The local police detachment is
overwhelmed by the high demand for police intervention and the
complexity of the social problems that have developed. Troubled
by the situation that is emerging in the town, a complaint has
been lodged with the departmental government.
There is a
great deal that still needs to be done with regard to the social
situation. As has been stressed by the International Labour Organization
(ILO), it is not enough to create new employment opportunities;
what is really needed is the creation of decent jobs.
By the Association
of Labour Inspectors of Uruguay (AITU), “For work with rights”.
E-mail:
inspectoresdetrabajo@adinet.com.uy, http://www.aitu.org/
