Customers are being forced to pay renewal fees without being able to retrieve their items and report that other pawn shops are taking advantage of the crisis while the labor dispute remains unresolved.
Although the pawned items remain safely stored within the facilities, there are no payment due dates. However, customers are being forced to pay a new renewal fee since they cannot retrieve their items during the strike that has paralyzed operations at the Monte de Piedad pawnshop.
Mayra García, general secretary of section five of the Monte de Piedad in Orizaba, stated that there is no expiration date when the item cannot be handled or returned to the customer. Therefore, they are only receiving payments for renewal and redemption fees.
“The pawnshop continues to receive money, although it has been affected, having lost millions of pesos in revenue,” she noted.
She stated that, economically, pawning and renewing loans are not the same, a situation that has led other pawnshops to “take advantage of the situation.”
Why are there no due dates but still collections at Monte de Piedad?
When questioned about pawnshops that try to attract customers by offering larger loan amounts, she explained that the reality is that Monte de Piedad offers lower interest rates and longer repayment terms.
“Many times they offer to buy the item; some people sell it and go to other pawnshops, but our payments are due every five months,” she emphasized.
Although the strike has been declared nationwide, the allocation of positions is the main issue keeping the workers protesting, which has now lasted 128 days.
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He recalled that the alleged workplace harassment began five years ago, a period that also saw unjustified dismissals, the closure of pawn shops, and disaffiliations.
“The reality is that they want to undo the contract, and the latest blow was the arbitrary assignment of positions, evaluating attitudes with unknown criteria, in addition to mandatory courses that had no relation to the operating system,” he denounced.
Finally, he lamented that this strike directly affects pawnbrokers, who make performance and renewal payments without receiving a concrete response. “We tell them to go to Profeco (the Federal Consumer Protection Agency), but here in Orizaba they don’t listen to them, because they’re looking for a solution and can’t find one,” he concluded.
In their more than 125 days of work stoppage, the employees of Section 5 of the Nacional Monte de Piedad pawnshop, based in this city, have survived thanks to the support of their families and are beginning to feel the effects.
“Our families are what have made each of us strong,” said Mayra García, secretary of Section 5, who stated that the problem they are facing can be resolved, but the Monte de Piedad administration refuses to do so.
The interviewee said that her husband also works at the pawnshop, but has another source of income, which has allowed them to survive. However, some have resorted to selling items or seeking other sources of income to get by.
She acknowledged that while this income doesn’t allow them to live as they were accustomed to, their families are the ones supporting them so they can keep their children in school.
According to the interviewee, the general administration of the Nacional Monte de Piedad is hoping that her colleagues will become fed up, tired, and abandon the movement.
“But far from weakening us, being here for more than four months has only strengthened our resolve to return with something dignified, something that isn’t exploitative and where we won’t be harassed,” Mayra says.
Mayra García said that Section 5 in Orizaba has 14 workers at the Poniente 7 branch and two more at the Cri-Cri Avenue branch, and they are affiliated with the National Union of Workers in Mexico.
The interviewee stated that the work stoppage began after the Monte de Piedad administration subjected them to training courses unrelated to their operating system.
“The courses were more focused on a financial area, which is what they want to implement, a financial system. They gave group exams, and even the manager didn’t know about them. They then assigned positions to 120 people nationwide, and one of them ended up in Orizaba, which isn’t legal,” she explains.
He stated that the activities carried out by members of the other union are contrary to the terms of the contract, and because of this, they risk losing their benefits.
Finally, Nacional Monte de Piedad has 1,800 employees who have received financial support on two occasions, as the company withheld their benefits and they are incurring legal expenses.
Source: oem
