Damien Kantor
03/24/2021 11:33 PM
Clarín.com
Economy
Updated 03/24/2021 11:33 PM
"Within the law everything, outside the law nothing."
With this textual phrase from Juan Perón
, Walmart titles a wide request that is published today in all the national media in the country, including
Clarín
and La Nación, in which it exposes a conflict with the Truckers union, led by Pablo Moyano, with axis in the only logistics center of the chain,
from which some 500 workers
supply the 92 branches distributed throughout the country.
The root of the fight has to do with the sale of the North American chain to businessman Francisco De Narváez, in November of last year.
"We acquired Walmart shares in the country with the firm intention of investing, developing, growing and
securing more than 10,000 jobs,
" says the company's statement.
They then add that, "almost immediately we received a request from the Union of Drivers and Trucks to
dismiss the affected personnel at the Distribution Center, compensate them and rehire them with the same seniority
."
For the De Narváez group, this is "
an illegitimate practice, not foreseen by any current legal framework
, nor by the way in which we carry out our activity in the country."
The statement clarifies that "in the face of our refusal, in the last two weeks we were conditioned by
recurrent covert measures of force
that led to a 75% drop in the distribution of basic foods and a shortage of essential products to more than 1 million families ".
In the final part of the text, Walmart asks the Government to intervene in the conflict "to guarantee the supply of all Argentine households."
The conflict with the Moyano family is
the first serious obstacle De Narváez faces in his return to supermarkets
, 22 years after the sale of Tía.
Walmart is today in full restructuring.
At the head of the chain are two men of his close confidence, Fernando Minaudo and Federico Erhart, who design a strategy to lead in the mass consumption business.
"
The Truckers' claim began from day one
. The union considers that the change of owner implies the
transfer of the work contract of 500 employees
, the payment of double compensation and retaking them with the same seniority. But in this case it does not apply. because the only thing that changed was the shareholder,
the company is the same
: it has the same CUIT, the same suppliers, the same debts and the same assets, "remarked a business source.
As the request says, the fight comes from afar but deepened two weeks ago.
De Narváez himself followed the arm wrestling closely, to such an extent that a few days ago he arranged
a meeting at the Truckers headquarters to negotiate face to face with Moyano
.
They say it was
a short, unfriendly meeting and that it produced no progress
.
The same source assures that shortly thereafter, pressures increased in the Distribution Center, "with assemblies, reduction of collaboration and work to regulation", which produced shortages of merchandise, especially in the smallest branches of the chain.
Walmart is the 4th chain in the country behind Carrefour, Cencosud (Jumbo, Disco and Vea) and Coto.
Today it has a 12% market share and is in the process of restructuring.
It has 31 hypermarkets (Walmart), two wholesale stores (Punto Mayorista) and the rest are supermarkets that carry the Changomas flag.
In addition to the union conflict, De Narváez has the challenge of replacing the Walmart brand and defining a strategy to address the new consumer habits, such as eCommerce, promoted during the pandemic.
