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According to the union, many of the workers are skilled and have invested in their professional training, counting on the expectation of employment at Unigel Camaçari, making mass layoffs even more concerning.
Proquigel decided to suspend the industrial operations of Unigel Agro, formerly Fafen, located in Camaçari, in the Metropolitan Region of Salvador, resulting in mass layoffs that will affect the employment of hundreds of workers. The decision was communicated on Wednesday, (01/11), to the management of Sindiquímica Bahia. The company justified the measure by claiming that the Camaçari unit has been operating at a loss since the end of 2022, mainly due to the high cost of natural gas supplied by Petrobras, making the final price of the finished product, fertilizers, impractical compared to international prices.
Proquigel Suspends Industrial Operations of Unigel Agro in Bahia
Proquigel, which produces nitrogen fertilizers from Petrobras, claims that it has sought numerous times to negotiate with Petrobras to find a way to reduce the price of natural gas, even temporarily, in order to make the operation of Unigel Agro BA viable.
However, to date, Petrobras has not taken any measures to meet Proquigel’s demands, maintaining intolerable prices that are significantly higher than those practiced in the international market.
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An alternative solution proposed to Petrobras was the formalization of a Tolling Contract, which would allow the continuation of operations at Unigel Agro BA.
However, Petrobras also did not accept this solution, which led Proquigel to make the difficult decision to suspend the industrial operations of the factory.
Before making this drastic decision, Proquigel reached out to the federal government, ministries, and secretariats in the hope of finding some legislative mechanism that could reduce the price of natural gas and make the operation of the Bahia factory viable.
However, these efforts also did not result in any measures or solutions, even temporarily.
Sindiquímica Bahia Seeks Solutions to Maintain Jobs
This mass layoff directly affects 384 workers involved in the production at the unit, comprising 264 direct employees and 120 indirect ones.
According to the statement, these workers will serve a 30-day worked notice, creating uncertainty in their lives and those of their families.
Sindiquímica Bahia is seeking dialogue with representatives of Petrobras, the Bahia government, and the federal government, aiming for the return of the factory’s operations and the guarantee of job retention.
Many of these workers are skilled, and about 30% of them have received training at Senai Cimatec, performing their first job.
The board of Sindiquímica Bahia is working with its legal advisors and mobilizing political efforts to demand solutions that can ensure job retention and income for the families of workers affected by this difficult situation.
The situation at Unigel Agro in Camaçari highlights the challenges faced by the industry and workers due to high production costs and the complexity of negotiations with major suppliers of essential resources.
The Other Side of the Story: Unigel, Profit Report, and the Layoff of Hundreds of Workers
According to a video published by Jailton Andrade from Debate Petroleiro, where he explains and refutes the reason for the mass layoffs at Unigel, he states that “both factories were leased by Unigel on November 21, 2019, located in Bahia and Sergipe, remained inactive throughout 2020. It was only in May 2021 that the Sergipe factory began operations.”
“In November 2021, two years after the leasing contract, fertilizer production began at the Bahia unit. In 2019 and 2020, the Unigel group reported an operating profit of 247 and 349 million, respectively. After the operation of Unigel Agro, the profit soared, reaching 1.7 billion in 2021 and 1.5 billion in 2022,” Jailton revealed.
For Andrade, it does not make sense for Unigel to report record profits in recent years while simultaneously laying off nearly 400 workers.
Check Out the Full Opinion of Debate Petroleiro and Its Explanations Against the 384 Layoffs
With information from Bahia Notícias.
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