Brazil's Embraer workers strike for better pay

Some 7,000 personnel with Brazilian aviation giant Embraer began a one-day strike Tuesday to press a demand for better pay, unions said.

A union spokesman said the size of the walkout at the firm's Sao Jose dos Campos headquarters outside Sao Paulo was expected to grow as workers in the afternoon shift join.

About 13,000 people work at Embraer's Sao Paulo facility.

Workers are demanding a 10 percent wage increase as well as a greater share of profits, while Embraer has offered 6.6 percent, unions say.

The workers downed tools on the day Embraer presented its new KC-390 military transport plane as part of plans to ramp up its presence in the military sector.

The KC-390 "is the plane with the largest number of imported components, in line with the policy of de-nationalization adopted by the company," according to unions.

"We cannot allow the company bosses to continue with this policy of devaluing workers. We are therefore downing tools today," said metalworkers' union deputy president Herbert Claros.

Embraer is the third largest commercial aircraft manufacturer in the world after US giant Boeing and European conglomerate Airbus.

Last year, the Brazilian firm reported net profits of $342 million, down 1.7 percent from 2012.

Embraer did not respond to an AFP request for comments on the strike.