The article focuses on the recent regulation established for the workday at Volkswagen and Ford, following the dissolution of Autolatina. The agreements introduce the reduction and flexibility of the workday combined with the establishment of a tallying system of the time spent at work. As for Volkswagen, its implementation has an influence over the power relationships and the labour contracts effected by this company. Its results, although quite positive, remain restricted to these car manufacturers' area and the union of metalworkers in the ABC region in São Paulo, and illustrates its proposition for the union action called "negotiated modernization". This is why these arguments must be appraised in the light of the recent trajectory of the workers and unions' struggles, bearing in mind the trends of the Brazilian and international unions.
Workday; Metalworkers; Unionism; Flexibility; Autolatina