The article details a struggle by workers at PepsiCo’s bottling plant in Kandy, Sri Lanka, against both the company and their own union, the Inter Company Employees Union (ICEU). These workers are fighting against planned job cuts and what they perceive as inadequate compensation offered by PepsiCo in exchange for voluntary resignation.
PepsiCo announced it would be closing its Kandy bottling plant, citing economic reasons, and offered a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) to its employees. However, the workers deemed the offered compensation of 200,000 rupees (approximately $660 USD) as insufficient, particularly given their years of service and the difficulty of finding alternative employment in the current economic climate.
Workers allege the ICEU is colluding with PepsiCo to force them to accept the VRS. They claim the union leadership rejected their demands for better compensation and is actively pushing them to accept the company’s offer. They accuse the ICEU of prioritizing its relationship with the company over the well-being of its members. This accusation is reflected in the worker’s sentiment that the ICEU is “selling them for a pittance.”
The workers have formed an action committee to fight for their rights, aiming to secure fair compensation that reflects their years of service and the current economic realities. They are also protesting the lack of transparency and consultation in the closure process.
find the original article here: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/06/03/ppwu-j03.html