New Uruguayan meat packing plant joins list of companies hit by uncertainty

Saturday, February 22nd 2025 - 10:49 UTCFull article0 comments

A new crisis in a meat packing plant in Uruguay left some 160 workers fearing for their livelihoods after the Paso de los Toros company halted operations, thus adding to the growing list of plants in crisis, which already included Scheneck, Casa Blanca, Lorsinal, and Rondatel, all of them in connection with the fraud scandal involving the financial company Conexión Ganadera, whose director, Gustavo Basso, died in a traffic accident amidst investor claims.

Uruguay's Federation of Workers of the Meat and Allied Industries (Foica) remains in conflict over stalled collective bargaining negotiations. Additionally, the livestock investment companies Grupo Larrarte, República Ganadera, and Conexión Ganadera are under judicial investigation, further exacerbating the sector's challenges.

Paso de los Toros reported a lack of raw material and liquidity, which keeps 160 employees in uncertainty. The announcement was made after Parliament voted in favor of extending unemployment benefits for Scheneck's workers as the meat packing plant Casa Blanca also resorted to this tool. Other establishments such as Lorsinal and Rondatel were reported to be going through similar hardships after the Conexión Ganadera scandal. Basso's death unleashed the twists and turns of a whole financial fraudulent scheme that also affects slaughter plants, in some of which Basso was the main shareholder.

The situation in the Uruguayan livestock sector is increasingly serious from different points of view: on the one hand, meat processing plants continue to be added to the list of companies in crisis, which also leads to a growing number of workers with an uncertain labor future. At the same time, Foica's new collective bargaining agreement is stalled given the Labor Ministry's determining wage increases by decree, without considering improvements in working conditions.

Between 4,200 and 4,300 investors reportedly lost around US$ 250 million after the bankruptcy of the largest cattle investment fund in Uruguay. Conexión Ganadera was founded in 1999 by five partners, including Pablo Carrasco and Gustavo Basso. The company's bankruptcy also affected meat packing plants and their workers. Paso de los Toros is owned by Bamidal S.A. of which Basso was its main shareholder. The crisis also reached the sheep slaughtering business, it was reported.

翻译整理：

乌拉圭新肉类包装厂加入受不确定性冲击的企业名单

乌拉圭肉类加工行业再陷风波，随着Paso de los Toros公司宣布停止运营，约160名工人面临失业困境，生计堪忧。此消息使得已陷入危机的工厂名单进一步扩容，其中Schenck、Casa Blanca（58厂）、Lorsinal和Rondatel等知名肉类包装厂均牵涉到金融公司“农牧业联结”（Conexión Ganadera）的欺诈丑闻之中。该金融公司董事古斯塔沃・巴索（Gustavo Basso）在投资者索赔声浪中不幸遭遇交通事故身亡，其离世更是揭开了整个金融欺诈计划的复杂内幕。

乌拉圭肉类及相关产业工人联合会（Foica）目前正深陷集体谈判僵局，行业矛盾日益激化。与此同时，畜牧业投资公司拉腊特集团（Grupo Larrarte）、农牧业共和国公司（República Ganadera）以及“农牧业联结”公司均正接受司法部门的严格调查，这无疑进一步加剧了该行业所面临的严峻挑战。

Paso de los Toros公司方面表示，由于原材料短缺和资金流动性严重不足，公司运营难以为继，160名员工的未来充满不确定性。此前，议会已投票支持延长舍内克公司工人的失业救济金期限，而Casa Blanca（58厂）等肉类包装厂也已着手申请失业救济金以应对困境。在“农牧业联结”公司丑闻曝光后，Lorsinal、Rondatel等其他相关企业同样陷入了类似困境。巴索的离世不仅让金融欺诈计划浮出水面，更对多家屠宰场造成了深远影响，其中不乏巴索担任主要股东的企业。

乌拉圭畜牧业的整体形势愈发严峻。一方面，肉类加工厂危机频发，工人职业前景黯淡；另一方面，乌拉圭劳工部虽然通过法令决定工资增长幅度，但并未关注到工作条件的改善，导致Foica的新集体谈判协议陷入停滞状态。此外，乌拉圭最大的养牛投资基金破产后，数千名投资者损失惨重，金额高达约2.5亿美元。“农牧业联结”公司由巴勃罗・卡拉斯科（Pablo Carrasco）和古斯塔沃・巴索等五名合伙人于1999年共同创立，其破产不仅波及肉类包装厂及其工人，更对绵羊屠宰行业造成了连锁反应。

来源：mercopress

发布时间：2025年2月22日