American flower firm Falcom Farms on Monday denied union claims that over 200 workers in southwest Colombia workers are on strike over back pay and accused the workers’ union of “creating unrest.”
According to agricultural workers union FENSUAGRO, 220 workers at the Falcon Farms site in Cajibio, in the department of Cauca, went on strike because they have not been paid since June 1st.
The union also claimed the Miami-based company had not met its commitments in making worker social security contributions and was “violating labor rights.”
In their report, FENSUAGRO say, “For these flower workers, it is more than their economic rights that the company is not meeting, there is a bigger worry and that is the abuse of power and authority.”
Jaime Mauricio Restrepo, a Colombian Falcon Farms representative, told Colombia Reports that reports of the strike were “false.”
However, he admitted that workers had not been paid. Restrepo said, “like all flower companies in Colombia, we are going through a temporary moment of cash flow problems that unfortunately has led to small delays in payment of salaries. We estimate we will make the payments soon.”
He added, “We are making agreements with government entities to pay all worker contributions in the first days of October.”
Restrepo attacked the union report saying, “we cannot allow disinformation to be used by certain elements to create unrest in the zone.”
FENSUAGRO representatives were unavailable to respond to the accusation at the time of publication.
