In recent days, at the entrance to the Coljuegos offices, the entity's workers have protested with posters and harangues asking for an end to the unjustified dismissals of their colleagues, even those who are covered by union immunity.
Despite its importance, the workers of the state company fear that the entity is being managed with political intentions and that the dismissal of people with several years of experience means hiring others without experience.
The change, which occurred within the framework of the break with the official coalition, brought abrupt changes to the personnel plant.
“Since Marco Emilio Hincapié became president of Coljuegos , situations have arisen that have generated many traumas in the operation. From the first day, employment contracts were terminated based on a rule that establishes a presumptive term. It generates great instability in the workers. This rule does not apply to any other state entity,” said Luz Mery Rodríguez, communications secretary for Sintracoljuegos, the new workers' union.
According to the worker, 16 officials have been removed in less than 20 days after several years of technical work. Fear prevails in the entity's facilities because there is no justification for the dismissals.
“We are afraid that the situation will continue until most of the staff are replaced. In addition, many officials have been transferred without any justification, even against operational needs. They stand out for their professionalism and now they have to assume totally different functions. We feel that what the administration is trying to do is to bore the staff to force them to resign,” added the union spokesperson. The protesters published two notices of termination of the contract sent by the same president of the entity and all are based on Decree 2541 of 1945, which says in a separate part that the contract of indefinite term or without fixing any term will be understood as agreed by six months.
This is qualified as a “presumptive term”, which gives Hincapié the power to terminate the contracts when he considers it. "I inform you that the contract will be valid until July 27, 2023 inclusive, on the expiration of the agreed or presumptive term," says the contract termination letter that Hincapié sent to various officials.
They even denounce that some executives were asked to resign, even though they are close to retiring. “They refused to present it. With these movements, the vice president of Organizational Development wants to destabilize the areas. One of your contracts expires at the end of the month and you think they are going to take you out ”,
Due to this situation, the workers of the entity created, before the Ministry of Labor, Sintracoljuegos, a new union to unite in the fight for their rights and prevent more people from losing their jobs. “We decided to create the union because of the drama that is going on. The people who say goodbye are parents, husbands, brothers and children. An entire family is left without a job and in this country it is very difficult to get it,” the spokesperson explained.
