blue-collar worker

I'm supposed to write a letter of application , and I was just wondering if there's a more formal way of saying "blue-collar worker"?
thanks in advance :)

Lingvo gives the translation "производственный рабочий", and translates that back as "production worker".
Is that formal enough?

I've used "labourer" eventually, but I'm still not sure if that's the right one :/
Thanks for the help, though, Tyomitch :)

Maybe: manual worker or industrial worker or working class man/woman

Quote:

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blue-collar adjective . . . of manual workers: relating to workers who do manual or industrial work that often requires special work clothes or protective clothing.

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Encarta(R) World English Dictionary [North American Edition] (2006) http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_18616 ... ollar.html

Quote:

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blue-collar (adj) Synonyms: manual, proletarian, working class

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Encarta(R) World English Dictionary [North American Edition] (2006) http://encarta.msn.com/thesaurus_/blue-collar.html

dang, I've already turned it in, and I left it saying "labourer". Is it a mistake? ;(

Greetings kamka, no, you did not make a mistake:

Quote:

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laborer (n) Synonyms: manual worker, blue-collar worker, hand, workhand, drudge, worker, employee, navvy

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Encarta(R) World English Dictionary [North American Edition] (2006) http://encarta.msn.com/thesaurus_/laborer.html

Quote:

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labourer . . . noun . . . someone who works with their hands; someone engaged in manual labor

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http://www.wordreference.com/definition/labourer