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The company, owned by PepsiCo
Snacks, has a complete anti-union policy. Openly, the company
threatens and harasses the workers who dare to get closer to the
Union.
Sirel
had a conversation with Alexander Mosquea, Secretary
general of the National Union of Dominican Frito Lay Workers
(SINTRALAYDO), who mentioned that the company is
closely persecuting the organized workers. "Recently, our
comrade Domingo Peña has been fired, with ten years of
uninterrupted work in the company, without just cause". "Domingo
was one of those who denounced Fritolay’s persecution
policy," he said.
In
addition to this kind of abusive measures, the management uses a
series of dirty tricks among which, the delivery of products
with an expiration date of no more than 15 days stands out, not
allowing the distribution workers to return expired merchandise
if they can not sell it in that time. "There are colleagues who
put money from their own pocket to pay for the expired product,
for fear of losing their jobs."
"The pressure is terrible," Mosquea emphasized.
SINTRALAYDO
has been denouncing this situation for a year before the proper
authorities without receiving any kind of support.
In
addition to harassing and persecuting workers who want to
organize themselves, the company uses all its power to prevent
the union from presenting a draft collective agreement to be
negotiated because they claim the number of workers in the
payroll does not reach the minimum required by the labour
legislation in Dominican Republic.
"Unfortunately the Ministry of labour, has chosen the
transnational company’s side so far - added Mosquea -
without taking into account the workers’ rights, without
considering the abuses of this company that not only pays their
workers unfairly but also violates the basic right of
organization to improve working conditions," said the union
leader.
SINTRALAYDO
now seeks to denounce this situation internationally as a way of
pressing the company to accept the organisation.
"We
have the Rel-UITA to spread Fritolay bad
practices", he concluded.
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