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The Seatech tuna plant reduced the number of its employees due to a lack of raw materials. (Photo: Stock File)
Tension builds at tuna plant
COLOMBIA
Friday, September 03, 2010, 02:30 (GMT + 9)
Around 150 former employees from Seatech S.A., which produce the leading brand of Van Camp's tuna, have blocked for the third time in less than a month, the road between Cartagena and the industrial area of Mamonal.
The blockade began after protests were sparked by the alleged dismissal of 86 employees, who were part of the Trade Union for Food Industry Workers (Ustrial), which was created by a group of workers in August.
According to former employees, following the formation of the union, 86 of its 119 members were dismissed from the company.
The only employees who were not laid off were those who suffer from disabilities and diseases, denounced the union.
Workers complained of a lack of job guarantees. Saying that Seatech does not count any of their workers as direct employees, but hired through two different companies: Atiempo Servicios Ltd and Recursos Especiales.
Today, some 500 female and 700 male workers are now unemployed. Employees who still managed to keep their job title, are now working 10 hours shifts, reports the newspaper El Tiempo.
The Seatech manager, Diego Camelos, says that the layoffs are not related to the creation of the union.
Instead claiming that the current situation is a direct consequence of decisions taken by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), to apply one of the longest fishing closures, forcing the company to lower its production.
According to Camelos, the ban left the processing plant without any fish for 10 days.
During that period, Seatech went from 2096 people working at the Cartagena processing plant, to just 96.
For his part, Jaime Davila Pestana, director of human-resources at the firm, argues that it is not possible to have direct employees, precisely due to the instability of the fishing sector.
"If the closures continue as they are today, or worsen, we will have no other choice but to declare bankruptcy, which would mean making all of our employees redundant as we would have to close the plant," said the manager of Seatech.
By Analia Murias
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