News

Forestry Contractors Demand Greater State Control Over External Violence

Sponsors

• The Association of Forestry Contractors AG calls on the government to take responsibility for preventing and controlling the violence affecting the sector, distinguishing between corporate and state obligations.

On September 27, the position of the Association of Forestry Contractors AG regarding the external violence we have suffered for 27 years was published in a national print media outlet, where we stated that it is the State's responsibility to address its prevention and control.

We adopted this stance because the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare decided to include in the National Policy on Occupational Safety and Health for the 2024–2028 period that employers must: "Implement effective measures to reduce and mitigate risks associated with external violence affecting workplaces, especially in highly exposed productive activities such as forestry, transportation, and services."

On September 29, in the same media outlet, the Undersecretary of Social Security of the Ministry of Labor reaffirmed this position. "...Article 184 of the Labor Code establishes that companies must fulfill their duty of protection by adopting effective measures to mitigate the risks of external violence that may affect their workers."

Given the above, the Association of Forestry Contractors AG wishes to state the following:

1.- The government conflates employers' obligations regarding workplace violence and labor duties arising from Article 184 of the Labor Code with the State's responsibility for preventing and prosecuting external security threats, crime, and terrorism.

2.- No company in the country can be held responsible for controlling external security and public order. It is the State, by virtue of international agreements and the current Political Constitution, that—through the Ministry of the Interior—has the duty to combat, safeguard, and guarantee public order and the country's internal security.

3.- We urge this government to take charge of its true obligation: ensuring security and fighting crime and terrorism, and most importantly, fulfilling its duty to respect and uphold the Rule of Law.