Pebco says they are being sabotage

Last Thursday the Immigration Department visited the Pepsi Cola factory in Ladyville and escorted the general manager and sales manager, a father and son off the compound. According to Immigration, both Guatemalans had arrived in the country two weeks ago and had taken up employment at the plant although they had no work permit. The company was fined a total of $2,400.00. While none of this was made public, on Monday News Five received a call about the incident that alleged that the company’s management had fired five department heads because they believed they had “tipped off the immigration department.” However, Immigration tells News Five that the inspection at Pepsi was part of an ongoing operation and that the company was not singled out. Today Lois Young, the attorney for the soft drink company also denied the claim. She said the reason why the workers, who she says were not all top level personnel, were liquidated is because management strongly suspects they were sabotaging the company.

Lois Young, Attorney At Law

“No the reason why the five people were let go is because over the last…since the last general manager that they had there, who had died tragically in 1998, there has been a constant undermining of the company. Almost sabotaging various aspects of the company, like in the lab part of it, mixing the drinks, in supplying clients with soft drinks. Management from Guatemala has suspected that there has been sabotage, and these were the five people who were let go in kind of clean up move that they have made. Decided on from Guatemala.”

Jacqueline Woods, Reporting

And there was evidence to prove this sabotage?

Lois Young

“Well you know how it is with sabotage Jackie, you’re not going to get it up front and close in…you’re not going the get the evidence on a platter, you just know that actions over a period of time and little things that they do, add up to the fact that these can’t all be mistakes. There has to be some element of intention here, when things keep going wrong. Customers keep being hassled for not paying their bills, when they have paid their bills. Customers orders aren’t filled out the way they should be and the competitor knows what you’re doing, and what’s happening in your factory, these things add up.”

Jacqueline Woods

And they were key personnel?

Lois Young

“Key in the sense that yes; one was a cashier, not so key, one was a receptionist and in between that, you had someone from the lab and I think it was a logistics manager.”

Young said presently there are forty-two people working for Pebco Belize and that the company is in the process of restructuring management. Meanwhile the attorney said operations continue at the soft drink plant.