Published: 02/02/2011

The second round of negotiations between IUF Hondurian affiliate STIBYS and the bottling company La Reyna (CabCorp/PepsiCo) had initially been set for January 11. However, due to delaying tactics by management these were postponed to February 3.

Meanwhile, Stibys has started to mobilise and declared a state of alert, forming committees in branches and departments of the company.

Stibys vice president and member of the negotiating committee, Porfirio Ponce Valley, said the company was violating rules of debate and setting meeting times that had been agreed earlier.

According to the union leader, the company based the suspension on the need to integrade senior CabCorp executives  from the headquarters in Guatemala into the second round of direct talks.

“First they said they could not find plane tickets for their executives , and after the same officials had to go to Puerto Rico to settle a labor dispute. The result was that we all of January went by without negotiations” said Ponce.

As the negotiations  emerge long and complicated, STIBYS declared an alert and began to form support committees in various branches and sub-sectors all over the country.

The union also started lobbying and protest. January 25, ending their work shift, workers gathered outside the premises of CabCorp (PepsiCo) in Tegucigalpa and held a protest rally, demanding that the company negotiated in good faith and respect the collective bargaining process.