The regional delegate of the Ministry of Labor at Rio Negro, Natalia Reinoso, said that Moño Azul, a local fruit company, "had suspended its tasks because it was the end of season and that they hadn't made any formal statement indicating that they would close the company."
Moño Azul "suspended activities as part of the end of the season," said Reinoso, adding that the company's conflict with its workers was a result of the crisis affecting Rio Negro's fruit sector.
In this regard, the official held hearings with Moño Azul, as rumors were that the company had been unofficially sold, but the delegate stated the company had not been sold."
With this mechanism, the official body set minimum work modalities to ensure the season, but the company claimed that "they were in an extended agricultural crisis state, as recognized by the official agencies that issued these statements," said Reinoso.
According to the Reinoso, Moño Azul guarantees it will employ its packing employees for the seasonal working days, "but they won't all be working with fruit, which is what the company needs to open its plant at General Roca," she added.
According to the regional delegate, the company also proposed transferring its staff to the city of Regina, "including their trip as part of their working hours, and finding housing so that people can stay in that city."
To complete the working hours it has promised, the company also offered the services of its workers to perform rural tasks.
The last option is to comply with the 45 working days employees are entitled to but, in the absence of fruit, that number of days is unsustainable, said Reinoso.
The company offered its workers to perform temperature control, cleaning, or other tasks. However, many workers were unsatisfied with this offer. Other decided not to work under these conditions and ended their relationship with the company, and the remaining workers want to perform the packaging jobs they had agreed to," she said.
The workers say that the company breached their contracts, as it didn't comply with the pay and minimum working days it had agreed to.
"There are people who want to quit and started a parallel process with the company. Right now, they are negotiating their compensations," Reinoso said.
The regional delegate said that "the company states that they are not laying off anybody and that they are giving people work. They offered workers a 50 to 60 percent compensation, but the workers demand to be paid 100 percent."
In this regard, she said, "since they have not been dismissed, they are negotiating to reach a number they can agree on."
Nearly 30 workers who did not accept the three proposals offered by the company are in this process.
Source: Telam Agropecuario