Still Waiting for Severance Pay, Ex-Burger King Employee Survives on Sugar-Water

(I-Newswire) April 12, 2005 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
Melanie Holwerda Hommes
melanie@ajshonduras.org
011 504.239.4418
www.ajshonduras.org/burgerking.htm


Still Waiting for Severance Pay, Ex-Burger King Employee Survives on Sugar-Water

Burger King execs are gloating over the success of the recently released "Enormous Omelet Sandwich," a 730-calorie belly-buster that breakfasters across the U.S. are gobbling down with glee.

Meanwhile, ex-Burger King employee Karla Padilla and her two young daughters would be happy to get that many calories in an entire day.

In recent weeks Padilla and her daughters, Maria (2) and Iveth (9), survived for days at a time on nothing but sugar water. Thanks to illegal actions by a BK franchisee which deprived her of employment and legally mandated severance pay, Padilla simply didn't have the money to eat anything else.

Padilla is one of 27 ex-employees of Burger King, Church's Chicken, and Little Caesar's restaurants in the Central American country of Honduras who were fired without just cause, pre-notification, or exit pay-all of which are required by Honduran law. The franchises involved are all run in Honduras by one company, Tourism Investments (INTUR).

Mandatory severance pay might sound like a luxury to those accustomed to U.S. labor laws. But in Honduras, where companies like BK can pay their employees as low as $120 a month and finding work can be like finding a needle in a haystack, it can mean the difference between food on the table and slow starvation.

Attempts to resolve Padilla's case (and those of the 26 other workers who suffered similar fates) through the Honduran legal system have been mired in red tape and corruption.

The Association for a More Just Society (AJS), a Honduran legal advocacy organization, has taken charge of the workers' case-and provided Padilla with money to tide her over while the case drags on.

But INTUR continues to play tricks like changing the names of its subsidiaries in order to slow down the legal process. And INTUR has taken advantage of many of the ex-employees' desperate financial situations by settling out of court for amounts far below what the law requires.

Thus far Burger King Corporation has also passed on taking any substantive action. When contacted about the case, Werner A. Glass, BK legal counsel for Latin America and the Caribbean, committed only to "pass your concerns to our franchisee."

Glass wrote AJS that "the franchisee in Honduras has sole control over the terms and conditions of the employment of its employees."

However, in statements by BK Corp. president Gregg Brenneman, as well as statements found on BK's corporate website the burger giant has made a clear commitment to treat workers fairly and increase worker satisfaction in all Burger King restaurants, not just those directly owned by BK Corp.

On its website (http://www.bk.com/CompanyInfo/public_policies/index.aspx), BK Corp. states:

"Whether he or she is employed by our company or interacts with us as a supplier, franchisee, or community liaison - our goal is to create an environment in which the most qualified individuals can experience personal growth and help build the BURGER KING� system. We strive to establish this atmosphere for our business by adopting and enforcing a code of ethics that calls for respect and integrity, and embraces a philosophy of continuous learning."

INTUR has demonstrated precious little respect or integrity in the treatment of its workers. If Burger King Corporate is serious about "enforcing" a code of ethics, it should do more than simply "pass concerns" to the franchisee.

At the very least, it could pass on a few Enormous Omelet Sandwiches to Karla Padilla.

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Association for a More Just Society (AJS)
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Central America

Contact:
Melanie Holwerda Hommes
melanie@ajshonduras.org
011 504.239.4418
www.ajshonduras.org/burgerking.htm

Association for a More Just Society was founded in 1999 by a group of individuals in Honduras and the US who strive to extend justice for the poor in Honduras by using legal and media channels.

Company Contact Information
Association for a More Just Society (AJS)