In a press release, the Union of Workers of La Constancia (SITRACONSTA) informed it was “publicly denounc[ing] the company La Constancia LTDA. de C.V., a subsidiary of AB InBev and Coca-Cola, for serious violations of the labor rights of three fellow workers, who have been victims of unfair and arbitrary dismissal, with no legal basis, following accusations of stealing products”.

“Our fellow workers were forced to take polygraph tests, which were used as the sole ‘evidence’ to justify their dismissal, with no objective investigation conducted, no recourse to legal defense, and no respect for due process”.

“The company then proceeded to dismiss them without recognizing their years of service or paying them severance compensation, thus violating fundamental labor rights.” Those are the facts.

This episode lays bare the delusional nature of certain megalomaniacal companies, which prompts a “compassionate” consideration.

There is something profoundly moving in corporate creativity. One would think that after centuries of labor relations, everything has already been invented: the dismissal, the excuse, the door slamming shut. But no. There is always a brilliant mind that says: “¿What if instead of using evidence we use a machine straight out of second-rate movie?”

That is how we arrive at the episode staged by the always-innovative company La Constancia LTDA. de C.V., a proud member of the corporate universe of AB InBev and The Coca-Cola Company, where three workers discovered that their job stability depended less on their performance and more on their capacity not to sweat when subjected to a lie detector.

The polygraph. That almost mystical device that, according to certain offices, can detect lies with the same precision as the horoscope predicts your future. Never mind that it is not legally accepted in El Salvador. Never mind that it cannot be considered a substitute for a serious investigation. What matters is that it has cables. And lights. And that is always intimidating, unnerving.

The scene is easy to imagine: a worker sitting down, most likely bewildered, while a machine decides whether he will be allowed to keep his livelihood. There is no evidence, no process, no defense. But there is a graph. And that graph apparently delivers the truth. Or at least the perfect excuse.

Because this is not about justice. It is about efficiency. Why investigate when you can pressure? Why prove anything when you can suspect in technological style? Due process is slow, cumbersome, almost human. The polygraph, instead, offers something much more attractive: the illusion of objectivity.

And then comes the second master blow: dismissal without severance compensation. Because if you are going to violate rights, why not go all the way? Half-measures just won’t do it. Who cares about years of work or benefits or legal obligations? Who needs the Labor Code when you have imagination?

We should pause here to admire their consistency: management accuses without valid proof, dismisses without proven cause, and denies basic rights. Everything is in perfect harmony. A corporate symphony where every note is out of tune, but played with great conviction.

Curiously enough, these practices exist alongside a narrative of “values”, “social responsibility”, and “work family”. But no family is complete without a polygraph in the lounge and a letter of dismissal at the ready.

And, of course, there is the international detail. Because when you claim to be part of a global giant such as the International Labour Organisation but that commitment is not reflected in your practice, there is the matter of that small imbalance between what is signed in Geneva and what is implemented at the plant.

But let us not be unfair. Perhaps we are seeing it all wrong. Maybe it is not an abuse, but an innovation. A new management model: less rights, more cables. Less evidence, more electronic intuition. Less law, more show.

After all, in an era where everything has to be faster, even justice can be outsourced… to a machine that nobody takes seriously, except when it serves their purposes.

NO TO LABOR ABUSES!

RESPECT FOR WORKERS’ RIGHTS NOW!

SITRACONSTA IN DEFENSE OF DIGNIFIED LABOR!