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Syndicate of Alvaro Noboa pointed out that payment to former workers is illegitimate
Posted On 23 Dec 2016
The legal director of the Noboa Corporation, Fernando Alarcon, stated that the Compañía Agrícola Bananera Clementina S.A. decided to pay $ 3,944,420.93 to settle the debt with the former employees of La Clementina farm, to avoid the consummation of “a new arbitrariness and illegality in the auction process” of Alvaro Noboa Ponton’s assets. Alarcon indicated that during the auctioning process of the properties of the Noboa Group, in this case of the Ecuadorian Cardboard Industry, a qualified expert was not appointed to submit a report on the appraisal of the property, and then notify the parties involved, so that they have the option to adhere to or challenge the expert’s appraisal. “We proceeded (to pay the debt) without recognizing the legitimacy of the payment,” he stated.
After paying nearly $ 4 million, Babahoyo Labor inspector Cristina Cordero suspended the auction of the property. Following the announcement of the payment in favor of 1,908 former workers from La Clementina, located in La Unión, Babahoyo (Los Ríos province), Labor Minister Leonardo Berrezueta, gave Alvaro Noboa a 48 hour term to deliver the list of the 50 companies to the Ministry of Labor that – according to him- are harmed by this payment.
In this regard, Alarcon indicated that they would do so “in due course,” adding that some companies did suffer during the process because there were “retentions of securities in the accounts, prohibition to alienate all their property and others.in the order issued by the Labor Inspectorate.” On a new process that will be continued by the former workers of La Clementina for unfair dismissal, Alarcon said: “The High Court of Conciliation and Arbitration itself declared that there is no unfair dismissal.” And regarding the payments for retirement, he said: “If there is any worker who has the right to retirement, it will be paid, once it is judicially determined.”
