Around 3500 employees have not yet received compensation since the closure of the shipyard in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro
An endless drama, this is what you can call the current situation of employees at the Mauá shipyard, in Niterói in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro.
Hundreds of former employees of the Shipyard, who were dismissed more than four years ago, held a peaceful demonstration at the company's door last Wednesday, August 09th.
The protest organized by former employees aimed to draw attention to the non-receipt of the indemnities since the Mauá Shipyard was closed in 2015 and did not pay what it owed to around 3.500 laid-off employees. The company faces a judicial recovery process and accumulates debts of R$ 1,5 billion.
According to Maria de Lourdes, a former employee, the situation among workers in Niterói is chaotic, “Many former employees committed suicide because they had debts, there are workers who had to return their financed cars and houses, another 85 former employees were arrested by the non-payment of alimony and even those who do not have R$ 4,00 to pay for the ticket and come to this event and go hungry”, she declared.
The Shipyard's dependencies are currently being depreciated due to the time without maintenance and there are three oil tankers unfinished for more than three years on the pier, due to the cancellation of the contract with Transpetro.
The Owners
The Shipyard Mauá, in Niterói, was once one of the largest in the country and employed almost 10.000 people at the height of Brazilian shipbuilding, the company belongs to the Sinergy group, which also owns another company in bankruptcy, the airline Avianca, German Efromovich.
The shipyard is the oldest in the country and its land was acquired by Barão de Mauá in 1846 and shortly before closing it delivered important works such as P50, P54 and the Mexilhão gas platform.
On August 15, a public hearing is scheduled to deal with the resumption of works at the Mauá shipyard and on unpaid compensation to former employees.
Read too ! Another shipyard closed! The Atlântico Sul Shipyard (EAS) suspends operations indefinitely!
