For more than 18 months Nicaraguan affiliate Sinprolac, made regular reports to the IUF and its Latin American federation of Nestlé workers (FELATRAN), about the repressive and corrupt attitude of the company’s management in Nicaragua. Managers were both hostile toward workers and incompetent which affected the financial stability of the company and therefore the workers’ jobs. When efforts by FELATRAN and IUF Latin America in Nicaragua came to nothing, the two organizations turned to the highest authorities of the multinational corporation.
- Using the IUF’s global agreement with Nestlé, Felatran General Secretary Antonio Vitor was able to request that senior Nestlé executives at corporate level in Vevey, Switzerland intervene to protect the company and its employees
- Nestlé country manager, Alejandro Moya, met with Osman Salgado, general secretary of the Union of Workers of Prolacsa-Nestlé (Sinprolac); the company acted quickly and some local factory managers were replaced
- On July 21, there was another meeting between the union and the company with the participation of all of Nestlé’s senior managers from Nicaragua and Central America; Nestlé officers corroborated the truth of the union’s allegations and informed union representatives of their decision to employ a new factory manager
- The company further promised that from now on the union would be heard and that Nestlé would no longer tolerate any irregularities by management; William Haar, who has served the multinational corporation in several management positions, was introduced as the new manager for Nicaragua
IUF Latin America Regional Secretary Gerardo Iglesias stated, “Nestlé workers in Nicaragua have repeatedly shown their commitment and loyalty to company operations while continuing to fight in the interests of the working class. The IUF and Felatran expect Nestlé will be managed competently and respectfully and will continue to hold the company to account.”
