Juan Carolus Brown Bauzá Fedefruta

Fedefruta president Juan Carolus Brown

Representatives from Chile’s fruit industry met with labour minister Ximena Rincón last week to discuss the labour reform bill currently making its way through the Senate.

The meeting, which formed part of tripartite negotiations between the government, fruit companies and agricultural worker unions, was to promote the establishment of new labour laws specifically relating to the fruit industry. The sector has long argued that due its unique characteristics, its workers should not be subject to the same rules as other industries.

Fedefruta is due to present its vision on labour reform to the Office of Labour and Social Insurance in the Senate on Monday.

“If we’re all in agreement about the need to improve conditions for workers, then let’s work together to achieves these goals,” Fedefruta president Juan Carolus Brown said after his meeting with the minister. “We hope that the labour reforms achieve what we all want for the fruit industry and for the nation.”