Unions challenge human rights abuses at Prosegur AGM
Union members spoke and distributed leaflets at Prosegur’s Annual General Meeting in Madrid today to demand the firm responds to, and fixes, serious allegations of human rights abuses in South America.
Trade unionists from countries across Europe including Spain, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Sweden and Switzerland as well as others from Uruguay and New Zealand distributed leaflets alleging abuses by Prosegur against its own workers.
UNI Global Union purchased Prosegur shares in order to attend the AGM and ensure that workers’ voices were heard. Head of UNI Global Union Property Services division, Alice Dale, called on shareholders to hold Prosegur accountable for not living up to its global obligations and commitments.
Dale said, “We see workers who have been dismissed because they joined a union or because they went on strike. Workers who have been sued for speaking out against human rights violations. Workers who have been threatened, at their homes or in their workplaces. Workers who have been physically assaulted.
“When confronted with these facts, Prosegur management has chosen a path of denial rather than one which embraces the challenges of operating in new markets while respecting global standards. This path is bad for your employees and their communities, bad for shareholder value and wrong for Prosegur and your clients.”
In response, the company continued to deny any responsibility for problems in South America. Prosegur had earlier attempted to deny entrance to Alice Dale despite her status as an official shareholder.
UNI Global Union has filed complaints with both the OECD and ILO concerning Prosegur’s conduct in South America, particularly in reference to discrimination against trade union members. Colombian courts have issued three arrest warrants against Prosegur managers for failure to implement legal decisions about acts of discrimination against unionised workers whilst 327 workers were dismissed by Prosegur management after taking part in a legal strike in Paraguay. The company is even suing nine of its own workers in Colombia for a combined total of one million U.S. dollars for speaking out about trade union rights.