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The labor dispute that led this Monday to the strike notice by Grupo CICE workers in Veracruz took a new turn after the company asserted that the movement lacks legal effect and that operations must resume immediately, following a resolution issued by a Federal Labor Instructor Judge.
Through a statement addressed to its clients and the general community, Corporación Integral de Comercio Exterior (CICE) presented its version of the salary review process it held with the union, in response to the strike movement initiated by workers who demand salary improvements and the payment of profit-sharing.
According to journalistic reports, the CICE Workers' Union placed red and black flags at the company's facilities in Veracruz during the first minutes of June 1st, after failing to reach agreements in the contractual negotiation. Among the main demands of the workers are a salary increase higher than that proposed by the company and the payment of profit-sharing corresponding to the previous fiscal year.
In its statement, CICE affirmed that throughout the negotiation process it maintained a willingness to reach agreements regarding the salary review of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. However, it maintained that it was the union representation that decided to conclude the conciliation stage prematurely.
"During the negotiation process, our company showed the best disposition to conciliate the salary review of the Collective Bargaining Agreement," the company stated. It also indicated that the union's representative "made the decision to terminate the conciliation phase, showing a desire to initiate the strike," while the company insisted on continuing with the conciliation tables.
According to CICE's version, even on May 31st, a hybrid hearing was held before the Federal Labor Instructor Judge with the aim of continuing negotiations and building a favorable agreement for both parties. However, it asserted that the union representation did not attend said hearing.
"Still on May 31st, we attended a hybrid hearing (...) to continue with the negotiations and thus obtain a favorable agreement for both parties; however, the union did not show up," the company affirmed.
After the strike began, the company reported that both it and the union were notified on June 1st of a judicial resolution issued a day earlier, by which the archiving of the file related to the labor dispute was ordered.
According to CICE, the judicial determination establishes that the procedure was totally concluded and that the union lacks active legitimacy to sustain the cause, a situation that, according to the company, renders the strike without legal effect.
"The Judge (...) orders the archiving of the file because it is totally concluded, leaving the strike without legal effect, given that the Union lacks active legitimacy for the cause," the company maintained in the document.
Under this argument, the company affirmed that there is no legal justification to keep activities suspended and called on workers to return to their jobs. "There is no legal justification whatsoever for the suspension of work, and therefore, it must resume immediately," it stated.
The case opens a new chapter in the labor dispute, as while workers maintain demands related to wages and benefits, the company argues that the movement lacks legal basis derived from the judicial resolution. The outcome will depend on the actions adopted by the union representation and the determinations issued by labor authorities in the coming days.
CICE reiterated that it will keep the path of dialogue open to reach understandings within the current legal framework. "We will always remain open to dialogue and negotiation, within the current legal framework and the values of our organization," the company concluded.
Grupo CICE has significant influence on the logistics of the port of Veracruz: it operates a multi-purpose terminal in the port, has operations as a stevedore, as well as a network of warehouses it has built from the port and in the main cities of the country, among other services.
Source: t21
