14 January, 2021Fifteen workers at the Coats plant in Honduras have been laid off without prior consultation with the union.
At the end of September, 15 workers were dismissed on the grounds of low production levels. Six of the fifteen workers are seeking reinstatement with the union at the plant, Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Empresa Coats Honduras S.A. (SITRACOATS), saying the decision was made without adequate consultation with the union, as required in the collective bargaining agreement.
The first collective agreement was signed with the company in 2019, which was the first step in a continuing process to build good relationships. SITRACOATS argues that reinstating the six workers will help consolidate that company-union relationship.
"As a union, we believe in fostering a good relationship with the company, but when rights are violated it’s our job not only to protest, but to seek redress. We are asking Coats to be reasonable and to reinstate the workers who were dismissed on 24 September of last year. The industry is changing, but the need for labour solidarity is as important as ever,"
says Marco García, SITRACOATS general secretary.
When raising the matter of the dismissed workers with the company, the union was repeatedly told that it was out of the hands of local management. The six workers seeking reinstatement have sought recourse with the labour authorities.
A peaceful protest outside the Coats’ industrial park on 19 October, 2020, over the dismissals.
In a letter to Coats’ Group CEO Rajiv Sharma, IndustriALL is urging the company to assist in solving the issue and to reinstate the six workers with back-pay.
"The union used to have a good relationship with the company and we hope there is a will to respect the integrity of the collective agreement and engage in genuine dialogue for the reinstatement of the workers.
I am sure the Coats global union network stands in solidarity with SITRACOATS,"
says IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches.
SITRACOATS is affiliated to the CGT and a member of IndustriALL’s global Coats network.