Guatemala  | UNIONS  |  COCA COLA

 

 

 IUF Mission to Guatemala 2012

With Carlos Alberto Luch

The signing of the new collective bargaining agreement brought stability

     

Following a long and exhausting negotiation, the Union of Workers of Embotelladora Central SA (STECSA) signed a new collective bargaining agreement with Coca-Cola FEMSA, which will be in force until February 2015. In this way, the union was able to guarantee protection for hard-earned rights and ensure work stability, and launched a new round of talks and proposals on issues that were left out of the collective bargaining process.

 

The agreement signed by the parties is now awaiting ratification by the Labor Ministry, as stipulated under Guatemalan labor legislation to ensure that the contents of such agreements are not in breach of national laws.

 

“The signing of the new collective bargaining agreement allowed us to protect rights gained through many years of hard struggle, and to guarantee the workers’ job stability,” STECSA general secretary Carlos Alberto Luch told Sirel.

 

“We have also held two meetings with Coca-Cola FEMSA to address some issues on which we agreed on during the negotiation but which were not included in the new collective bargaining agreement,” he continued.

 

Among these issues, Luch highlighted the implementation of measures to bring into the Guatemalan market new products that are not being distributed in the country yet.

 

“We think that with these measures we would be able to expand the market and both contribute to the company’s growth and benefit workers,” the union leader explained.

 

In the context of the IUF Mission to Guatemala, a number of meetings were held with government authorities, with the participation of representatives of the Trade Union Federation of Food, Agroindustry and Related Industry Workers of Guatemala (FESTRAS) and STECSA.

 

“We met with the Labor Minister and laid out our assessment of the situation of the beverage market and the goals we have set for ourselves after the signing of the collective bargaining agreement.”

 

“We also asked that the agreement be ratified as soon as possible, as we need to move on with the discussion of new projects,” Luch said.

 

The general secretary of STECSA reported that the union is continuing its training and capacity-building efforts for its members, strengthening their commitment and sense of belonging, as well as preparing them to face future union challenges.

 

Solidarity

 

Another of the issues addressed by the union leader was the importance of management-union dialogue to discuss and solve problems.

 

“We’ve demonstrated that we’re open to dialogue and we believe that the best way to solve any problems is to sit down and negotiate, so we can discuss what we need to do,” he said.

 

Lastly, Luch underlined the enormous role played by international solidarity throughout the bargaining process, and the importance of the mutual support shown by the many affiliates of the IUF and the Latin American Federation of Coca-Cola workers (FELATRAC).

 

“We must support each other in our struggle, which must transcend borders and become global. We have the obligation of giving our solidarity to any workers whose rights are violated.”

 

“We’re going to continue coordinating efforts with IUF Latin America, our regional organization, so we can keep up to date, carry out solidarity actions and protest any form of labor abuse suffered by workers anywhere in the world,” Luch concluded.

 

   

 

From Guatemala City, Giorgio Trucchi

Rel-UITA

August 15, 2012

 

 

 

 

Photos: Giorgio Trucchi

 

Misión UITA Guatemala 2012

 

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