New labor crisis: the Casa Blanca Refrigerator will reduce its workforce in Paysandú

By Agustin Miller

A blow to the productive heart of Paysandú

He White House Refrigerator has once again set off the alarms in the coastal meat sector after announcing a profound restructuring that will leave 110 families on the streets. In a recent instance before the National Directorate of Labor (Dinatra), representatives of the Sanducera company made official the decision to drastically reduce its workforce, arguing the need to adjust operating costs in the face of a scenario that seems to give no respite. The news has fallen with extreme harshness in a department that has already been punished by the lack of genuine employment and the volatility of heavy industry.

For the workers of the White House Refrigerator, this announcement is nothing more than the chronicle of a feared outcome after months of instability and massive payments to unemployment insurance. Union leader Víctor Hugo Hidalgo confirmed that the number of casualties is alarming, adding to the 90 workers who already left the firm in previous stages. The picture becomes even more gloomy if one considers that there are currently about 180 workers under the unemployment benefit regime, the extension of which now depends on urgent parliamentary approval before the deadline expires on February 17.

The lack of liquidity in the White House Refrigerator

One of the most critical points raised in the negotiation is the company's alleged financial inability to comply with its basic legal obligations. The union denounced that the White House Refrigerator He expressed doubts about how he will face the payment of the settlements corresponding to the 110 dismissed. This confession of partial insolvency has generated logical indignation among workers, who see how their years of effort are tied to an accounting engineering that prioritizes business restructuring over the elementary right to collect salaries after a dismissal.

The situation is at a point of absolute “impasse”, waiting for a new meeting in the Ministry of Labor and Social Security where details are provided about the payment schedule. In addition to the drama of the layoffs, there is latent concern about the reinstatement of another 70 workers who theoretically should return to their jobs. However, given the recent trajectory of White House Refrigerator, few in Paysandú dare to ensure that these jobs are truly guaranteed in the short term.

A meat sector in check and the role of White House Refrigerator

The crisis of White House Refrigerator It is not an isolated event, but its impact on the area of ​​influence of Paysandú is devastating due to what it represents for local consumption and the supplier chain. The Uruguayan meat industry is going through 2026 marked by the variability of international prices and internal costs, but in the case of the Sanducera plant, the problems seem to have become structural. The dependence on state subsidies and extensions of special unemployment insurance denotes a management that, according to the unions, has not managed to adapt to new times without sacrificing human capital.

The union has been emphatic that it will not accept that the restructuring is financed by the hunger of the workers. The eyes are on Parliament National, where legislators must decide whether to grant a new extension to the special unemployment insurance to gain negotiation time. However, for the 110 officials who today see their name on the casualty list of the White House Refrigerator, time has already run out and the only urgency is to ensure that the money for their layoffs appears in a timely manner, something that the company has not yet been able to certify.

Uncertain prospects for the end of February

As the date of February 17 approaches, the pressure on the ministries involved increases significantly. He White House Refrigerator It has become a witness case of how the lack of competitiveness and the rigidity of certain production schemes end up breaking the weakest link. If the plant fails to reactivate with the promised 70 workers and if the origin of the funds for the liquidations is not clarified, the conflict could escalate into forceful measures throughout the meat industry union at the national level.

Paysandú watches with sadness as one of its industrial flags frays among court records and Dinatra minutes. The recovery of White House Refrigerator It seems to be subject to a financial miracle or a more aggressive state intervention that, for now, is not on the horizon. Meanwhile, the workers remain in a state of permanent assembly, defending what little they have left in a scenario of total uncertainty that seems to have no ceiling at the start of the year.

To what extent is it viable to sustain industries through legislative extensions when the company itself admits not having funds to liquidate its laid-off staff?