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José Rodríguez Vélez is the president of the Solidarity Trade
Union Movement (MSS), in dialogue with Sirel he commented on the
situation workers are living at Pepsico (CABCORP) in his country
and the imminence of a strike if this transnational corporation
continues not honoring the Collective Agreement signed earlier
this year.
-What is the conflict faced with Pepsico in Puerto Rico?
-About a year ago CABCORP bought
Pepsi Cola of
Puerto Rico.
The last collective agreement expired in February, we were
negotiating with CABCORP in
January and February, we signed a good deal, with a significant
wage increase, with increased contributions to our health plan
and a number of improvements in benefits for workers.
This agreement became effective in March this year and in the
period April-May CABCORP changed
its administration in Puerto
Rico. They brought managers from Guatemala and
thereafter the company has been in constant violation of the
Collective Agreement.
-What are the points that are not respected?
-During collective bargaining, the
MSS managed
that the company paid sales commissions separate from salary of
workers in this sector, but now the new management wants to
replace the percentages that were agreed with lower ones.
On the other hand, sales routes have been restructured in such a
way that management wants to use outsourced workers in a blatant
attempt to destroy our strength in that sector.
In addition to this, they want to change the pay period. For 30
years workers at Pepsico,
have been paid weekly, this new administration has implemented
bi-weekly pay, an action that directly affects the
administration of workers and their families.
-How have they reacted to this?
-On October 16, at the general meeting, which was attended by
nearly 300 workers, the strike was passed, which will take
effect the last week of December or the first week of January if
CABCORP continues
with the intention of violating our collective bargaining
agreement.
-What unions belong to the MSS in addition to Pepsico employees?
-The Solidarity trade union movement organizes workers in the
dairy industry, in particular
Suiza Dairy,
owned by Grupo
Gloria ,Peruvian
capital, and Indulac,
dairy industry of Puerto
Rico. We organize Crown Cork,
a company which produces aluminum cans, soda and beer cans, and
service workers.
MSS is
affiliated with the Coordinating Association of
Puerto Rico at
the national level and we are trying to establish contact with
colleagues in the Union of Beverage and Related Industry Workers
(STIBYS)
of Honduras which is affiliated to the
IUF.
We need to coordinate actions with other workers with the same
pattern, CABCORP is
in Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala, ,
the unity of the working class to confront it is urgent, for
that, the Regional Secretariat of the IUF is key to implement
this coordination .
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CABCORP (The Central America Beverage Corporation), formerly Mariposa Group, is
the largest Guatemalan beverage company and oldest in the region. Founded in
1885, CABCORP has the right to produce and distribute PepsiCo products since
1942.
CABCORP is the anchor bottler of PepsiCo Central America. Their territories
include Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and southern Honduras. Additionally,
CABCORP is a member of InBev, and distributes their beer .
CABCORP global brands are Pepsi, 7Up, Mirinda, Gatorade, Brahva, Adrenaline
Rush, Grapette, Petit and Campestre among other regional brands .
The IUF is very familiar with this group, known for its anti-union policy and
attitude.
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