THE HOMELAND | MANIZALES
Neither rights of petition, nor demands, nor requests have been valid and today the salary debt is around $250 million.
This is the complaint of some former employees of the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Los Cámbulos, who today have accumulated about four months without payments, after the departure of the Mexican Fypasa, after their contract was suspended early, due to non-compliance in the progress of works.
According to former workers such as Herver Rolando Pérez Díaz, former construction directorthat has been the continuous complaint, so 18 of those affected presented a right to petition before Aguas de Manizales, the Mayor’s Office, the Personería, La Nacional Seguros, the Ministry of Labor and even the Ministry of Housing and the KFW Bank. , which endorsed the project since it was awarded.
The request is the immediate compliance of labor obligations on the part of Fypasa with all workers, since, although 18 signed the lawsuits, in total there are about 30 people affected. For this reason, they insist that, regardless of the fact that Fypasa is no longer there, compliance policies be activated so that they comply with payments that were the result of their work.
to wait
Those affected even filed a protection action that was admitted by the Third Municipal Criminal Court for adolescents with a guarantee control function, but was declared inadmissible in the first instance. For that reason, the former construction director appealed the decision and the second instance is currently being heard in the First Criminal Court of the circuit for adolescents with a knowledge function.
Faced with this claim, the legal representative of Fypasa, John Carlos Vega Moreno, justified himself in a letter dated May 2 that he sent to Aguas de Manizales. There he defended that part of the problem is due to the termination that was made unilaterally and abruptly, although he assured that they are committed to ensuring that the pending payments will be generated in the shortest possible time for the closure of the project. However, he clarified that the protection presented by the former employees was declared inadmissible.
In claims
The manager of Aguas de Manizales, Jorge Eliécer Rivillas, explained that, despite the series of requirements and the involvement of the company in protection actions, they have ended without orders for the company.
However, he assured that the situation of these former employees of the contractor is priority for Water, so they immediately requested Fypasa, as an employer, to provide a substantive response and catch up with the workers. Likewise, the insurance company has been informed and requested. He added that, in addition to the guardianship, the former employees filed an administrative claim with others, for which they proceeded to request Fypasa and the insurer.
And the former employees?
However, LA PATRIA asked him: what is going to happen to the salaries of these people, since Fypasa is not an employer, especially when the workers insist that these compliance policies could be activated? In this regard, he assured that they are already in that process before the insurer, which in this case is the salary and benefits policy.
For now, the signatory former employees still do not receive a single peso. “Regardless of who must comply, the only thing we ask is that you show solidarity with our situation, since there are many people who today do not even have to pay for their food or their daily services and receive daily sustenance for themselves and their families,” he complained. Perez Diaz.
Less progress
As of December, it was estimated that the progress of the WWTP was 5.85%. However, after terminating the contract, external supervision was carried out and it was determined that the measurement of what was actually executed was 1.7%.
Earrings
* The representative of Manizales, Juan Pablo Osorio Gallo, maintained that since March 20, this case has been transferred to the Ministry of Labor, Aguas de Manizales and other competent entities. Today there are 25 requests from former employees who have made the claim. He maintained that the next task is to follow up with the Ministry of Labor.
* The director of the Ministry of Labor in Caldas, Darío Eccehomo Díaz, reported that four processes have been opened so far, including Aguas de Manizales in one of them. However, he said that the process of conciliation hearings is underway. “It must be taken into account that it is a process that takes time, we cannot ignore the Law or the regulations.”
