After seven years of negotiations over the collective bargaining agreement between IUF affiliate Stibys, the Union of Workers in the Beverage and Similar Industries, and PepsiCo’s Embotelladora La Reyna, management continues to insist on its outsourcing policy, and the likelihood of strike action is growing.
- When the company found out that the union had included the issue of outsourcing in its list of demands for the new collective agreement, it began to evade its responsibilities and delay the negotiation process, demanding that discussions of the issue be put on hold
- While Stibys’ objective remains the negotiation and signing of a new collective agreement as quickly as possible, the union must consider peaceful and legal actions to ensure job security as well as decent wages and working conditions
- Despite the challenges around outsourcing, the parties have made important progress in bargaining including an agreement around 64 positions as well as a first-time food subsidy for workers in the Sales Department
Fernando Espinales, President of Stibys, stated, “We have to be clear. The unwillingness to resolve the issue of outsourcing has us on the verge of strike action, and we are already forming strike committees in each branch and sub-section at the national level. We hope that the company understands the seriousness of the matter and will come to its senses. However, we are preparing for a more drastic outcome and asking the IUF to keep a close eye on developments.”
