Teamsters union members at PepsiCo in upstate New York are seeking help from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to fight a health-care policy by the company that charges employees who smoke or have medical issues that may trigger weight gain $50 a month.

The company, owned by PepsiCo Snacks, has a complete anti-union policy. Openly, the company threatens and harasses the workers who dare to get closer to the union.

Sirel had a conversation with Alexander Mosquea, Secretary general of the National Union of Dominican Frito Lay Workers (SINTRALAYDO), who mentioned that the company is closely persecuting the organized workers. "Recently, our comrade Domingo Peña has been fired, with ten years of uninterrupted work in the company, without just cause". "Domingo was one of those who denounced Fritolay’s persecution policy," he said.

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo union representatives from Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Benin, Niger, Nigeria, Zambia, Togo, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Morocco met December 8-9 in Accra, Ghana after the Regional Conference to discuss their present situation of organising in both TNCs and exchange experiences, successes and future plans of trade union work in these giant beverage companies operating in Africa.

While Pepsico reaps millions from the popularity of The X Factor, over 550 workers producing Pepsico beverages at the SMV Beverages and Steel City Beverages bottling plants in Jamshedpur, northeastern India, experience The Fear Factor.

The union recognized by management is not only fake, but illegal. The collective agreement signed two years ago remains a secret. The real union is not allowed to function and members are regularly harassed.