Silves Council has declared its solidarity with former Alicoop supermarket workers who were forced to take out loans to keep the company afloat, or lose their jobs, and who are being pursued by the lender.
The Council has called for a suspension of the bank’s debt recovery action as the workers are not liable, under an agreement reached during the insolvency process.
In a press release issued today, the Municipality of Silves expresses its, "total solidarity with the workers of the former Alicoop who are again confronted with the debts that were forced to contract with Banco Português de Negócios, SA in early 2008, to 'save the company’ on pain of losing their jobs.”
According to the local authority, there are dozens of workers affected in a 'creative' and unqualified action by the bank that does no credit to the lender.
"Alicoop, later Grupo Nogueira which bought the business, took responsibility for the payment of the debts, a guarantee that was enshrined in the Insolvency Plan agreed in the Judicial Court of Silves and which was ratified on March 13, 2012."
"The workers rightly considered the matter closed," says the Council, yet the bank continues to hound the hapless workers by seizing their goods and property for auction.
Silves Council, "is urging that, in particular, the Banco de Portugal, the Attorney General's Office and the Government eliminate these threats that are being imposed on dozens of workers, causing instability of their family life, and restore justice to this shameful process."
