News

 After 32 days of bargaining, at 11:30 pm, The Colombia Commerce Workers Union and the Chilean multilatin retail company CENCOSUD, through its Jumbo and Metro brands, signed the Collective Bargaining Agreement on December 19, 2013. The company has accepted all of the demands and even some clauses have been improved. The agreement shall come into effect on January 1, 2014 and remain in force for 28 months. This is the second collective bargaining agreement achieved by the Colombia Commerce Workers Union. The first was signed in April 2012, with the French multinational Carrefour. The first collective agreement introduced a novelty in the unions in Colombia: EXTENDED SOCIAL DIALOGUE, consisting of union representation in each and every workplace through a store representative who has the authority to hold regular meetings with managers to reach agreements on day to day issues. This Collective Agreement also constructed a disciplinary process for workers, respecting the terms established by law and the possibility of a second hearing or appeal. With the acquisition of Carrefour's business in Colombia by Chilean multilatin Cencosud, in the second half of 2012, the UNION changed its statutes and became a retail sector commerce workers union. Comprised mostly of women and youth, the UNION is the largest in this business in Colombia with more than 5,500 members that has had UNI Americas’ support since its inception. Cencusud has a supermarket chain consisting of 79 stores in 29 cities in the country. It is a Chilean company by origin, with a variety of brands in the retail sector and other businesses in insurance and family entertainment. It is present in Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Peru and Colombia. In our country it has invested more than US$ 2.62 billion in the past year and it also operates the brand name “Easy”.