Grupo Lala workers in Mexico allege dismissals over union organising

The allegations concern a distribution centre and commercial warehouse in Cruz Grande, in Guerrero’s Costa Chica region. Employee Juan Edgardo Dimayuga Cuevas and representatives of operational staff publicly described the dispute following efforts to organise independent union representation.

According to their account, company managers and authorised representatives prevented employees from entering the premises early on Friday. They said municipal public-security personnel were brought in and delivery vehicles carrying finished products were removed from the site.

The workers requested urgent intervention by Mexico’s Secretariat of Labour and Social Welfare (STPS) and the Federal Centre for Labour Conciliation and Registration. They sought action against what they described as pressure to accept final employment settlements without union representation.

The dispute involves warehouse operations and delivery work at the final distribution stage of the dairy supply chain. The report describes depots as facilities used to maintain the safety and physical and chemical stability of pasteurised products before they reach retailers. It identifies four degrees Celsius as the temperature used to maintain the refrigerated chain for such products.

The surrounding retail market includes neighbourhood grocery shops, small general stores and public markets in Cruz Grande, San Marcos, Ayutla and Ometepec. The report describes sales there of dairy blends and substitutes made with ingredients including vegetable fats, modified starches and imported dried whey. It also identifies road haulage, fuel, vehicle maintenance and logistics security as costs involved in supplying areas distant from Mexico’s northern and western dairy-producing regions.