Panamá  |  TRADE UNIONS

 

 

 

 

Letter from IUF Latin America

to the President of Panama

SABMiller tramples National Constitution, Labor Code and International Conventions ratified by Panama

 

 

Regional Latinoamericana
Unión Internacional de Trabajadores de la Alimentación, Agrícolas, Hoteles, Restaurantes, Tabaco y Afines (Rel-UITA)


   

Comité
Ejecutivo
Latinoamericano:


Presidente
Norberto Latorre
UTHGRA  Argentina

 

Vicepresidente
Luis A. Pedraza
UNAC  Colombia

 

Vicepresidenta
Neuza Barbosa
CNTA  Brasil 

 

Carolina Llanos
UATRE  Argentina 

 

Héctor Ponce
ATILRA  Argentina

 

Silvia Villaverde
FATPCHPYA
Argentina

 

David Morales
FESTRAS  Guatemala

 

Alessandra
da Costa Luna
CONTAG  Brasil

 

Siderlei Oliveira
CONTAC  Brasil

 

Guillermo Rivera
SINTRAINAGRO
Colombia

 

Wendy Yadira Chavarría Mejía
FESTRAS  Guatemala

 

Eduardo Esquivel
STIE  México

 

María Dafur
FNT-CGTP-ABA
Perú

 

Gerardo Iglesias
Secretario Regional

 

 

 

Montevideo, May 7, 2012

 

 

To the President of the Republic of Panama

Mr. Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal

Palacio de las Garzas

Seat of the Government

Panama

 

Ref.: Labor persecution and savage harassment at SABMiller

 

 

Mister President,

 

We are writing you on behalf of our 386 affiliate organizations from 120 countries to convey their outrage and alarm at the events below, which occurred at Cervecería Nacional, a brewery owned by the transnational corporation SABMiller.

 

In the afternoon of May 4, following negotiations in a case of Labor Code violations, representatives of the company rounded up workers unionized under the Industrial Union of Soft Drink, Beverage, Soda, Beer, Liquor and Similar Beverage Production and Distribution Workers (SITRAFCOREBGASCELIS) to inform them that they were being made redundant through a “mutual agreement,” which the workers had to sign on the spot without being advised by union representatives.

 

At the workers’ legitimate refusal to sign what would amount to a veiled dismissal, management proceeded to instruct its private security guards to prevent workers from leaving their workplace at the end of their shift. The order was carried out and the workers were held against their will for several hours.

 

The union reported the situation to the National Police, which sent officers to several workplaces where workers stated that they were not allowed to leave until they signed a “mutual agreement” for dismissal. Only after the police intervened were the workers released.

 

This incident also prompted the union to file a formal criminal complaint, as the measure taken by the company qualifies as kidnapping or deprivation of liberty. We are also making inquiries to find out the name of the lawyers who advised the company and suggested this measure, so that we can file a complaint against them with the National Bar Association.

 

You may ask yourself, Mr. President, what leads the company to take such reprehensible action? Having lowered the wages of its distribution workers, the company’s management knows that the union will most certainly bring an action against these cuts, which the company is likely to lose. The best solution it found to avoid this action was to fire all the workers and hire new ones who would have no demands and be paid lower salaries.

 

SABMiller’s arrogance is such that it does not seem to care that in its efforts to get its way it has to trample Panama’s National Constitution and Labor Code and international conventions ratified by the country.

 

In response to these actions and the company’s attempt to wipe it out, the union called a work stoppage for Tuesday, May 8, which will also prevent any delivery trucks from going out on their routes.

 

In view of this situation and the reasons set out above, we ask that you intervene immediately to ensure that SABMiller commits to observe Panama’s applicable legislation.

 

Your intervention, Mr. President, will not only bring justice to the weaker party -the workers- and contribute to social peace, it will also be an act of defense of national sovereignty.

 

For our part, we will continue monitoring the situation closely, ready to summon on a moment’s notice the solidarity of our international network of unions in support of these workers.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Gerardo Iglesias

IUF Regional Secretary

 Norberto Latorre

President of the IUF’s Latin American Executive Committee

 

                           

 

 

  

Wilson Ferreira Aldunate 1229 Of. 201, Montevideo, Uruguay

Tel: (598) 29007473 - 29021048 / Fax: 29030905  -  uita@rel-uita.org

 

 

 

  UITA - Secretaría Regional Latinoamericana - Montevideo - Uruguay

Wilson Ferreira Aldunate 1229 / 201 - Tel. (598 2) 900 7473 -  902 1048 -  Fax 903 0905