EPM’s Labor Union Not Happy About Recent EPM Appointments, Calls Management Out For Political Machinations & Using EPM As A Sinecure

Last week, Finance Colombia reported on new appointments to city owned utility conglomerate Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM), but soon heard from EPM’s largest labor union, SINPRO on their deep concern over both the executives named, and the manner in which they were named. SINPRO shared the following open letter to the manager and board of directors of EPM, translated here from Spanish.

From SINPRO we see with great concern how in this administration there have been repetitive changes in the EPM structure and appointments that affect the transparency and the rigors that have characterized our company.

In addition to the cases that we have made public, we now warn about the latest moves: the appointment of the new Vice Presidents of Legal Affairs, Jonathan Villada Palacio, and from Human Talent, Juliana Carolina Zapata Molina; the appointment of two advisers for the new manager of Afinia; the settlement of the new IT structure attached to the Vice Presidency of New Businesses, Innovation and Technology; and that of the Identity management, attached to the Vice Presidency of Communications.

SINPRO President Olga Lucia Arango

Historically, we have asked EPM for an administrative structure in accordance with institutional principles and technical rigors, leaving no fissures for politicking, bureaucracy, nepotism, cronyism and corruption. For example, in 2018 after the contingency of the Hidroituango project, we delivered a proposal for contribution to the sustainability of EPM, including the optimization of the structure.

In 2020, during the administration of the first of four EPM managers in 20 months—something never seen in 66 years—we warned about the fairness of appointments to high positions of managers and advisers, who did not correspond to the tradition of a company like EPM. With the new management’s arrival and with the approval of the board of directors, this practice did not change. On the contrary, it has become more evident, without shame.

A few months ago, and without questioning their possible academic merits, we warned about the appointments of the General Secretary, María Cristina Toro, and the vice presidents of Finance and Investments, Martha Durán, and Communications, Mabel López, upon the impression that quotas of politicians related to the government of Medellin were being filled.

The next step was the creation of the Administrative Management Department in the General Secretariat, despite the existence of the Administrative Support assigned to Supply Chain and Shared Services.

Mr. Manager and members of the board, you have underestimated these alerts, which we launched on the retirement of about twenty workers of all levels brought through extreme pressure and to which people of retirement age have also been subjected.