A Peruvian asparagus and artichoke company was caught up in strikes and allegations of financial fraud last week, but a key representative has denied any wrongdoing.

Employees from Empresa Sociedad Agricola Virú stopped work on April 22 for several days, accusing the organization of manipulating its accounts to avoid a legal obligation to share a portion of its profits.

There were also allegations police used violence against the protesters, with reports two men were injured and required treatment in the local clinic.

Local media Larepublica.pe reported the secretary general of the Sociedad Agrícola Virú Workers' Union, Genaro Quispe Ventura, had denied the protesters were provoking the police.

Sociedad Agricola Virú human resources director Oscar Echegaray said there was no truth in the allegations of financial misconduct, claiming documents signed by the National Superintendent of Labor Control (Sunafil) confirmed the company had not seen any profits for the 2014 financial year.

"Lots of information being published in the media about this does not represent reality," Echegaray told www.freshfruitportal.com.

"The Ministry of Labor has also verified that there are no profits, but the union has given a completely different version.

"As a result, on April 22 the union did not allow workers to enter the company's building, and a rock was also thrown at a policeman. To avert responsibility, the union said the police were attacking them. We have no reports of anyone else being injured."

Echegaray alleged the worker union had prevented others from returning to work on April 22, and claimed threats had been made against those wishing to return.

He also said the company's operations had been substantially set back as a result of the strikes.

A document from the regional government sent by Echegaray to www.freshfruitportal.com claimed 1,200 out of the total 1,400 workers were absent on April 22. The same document also labeled the unannounced worker strikes as illegal.

Another document from the local police denounced the union's actions, claiming in the early hours of April 22 they had blocked the entrances to the company's building and prevented vehicles transporting 600 workers from entering.

The document also purported threats were made against the workers and damaged was suffered to the company's building. In addition, it says 16 union members were involved in throwing rocks at workers trying to return to work.

According to Echegaray, a representative of the national union General Confederation of Peruvian Workers (CGTP), Pablo Ramos, was present on April 22, but Echegaray claimed he did not agree with the actions of the Sociedad Agrícola Virú Workers' Union.

"We comply with all the protocols of the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), and Peruvian laws. We have always had a good relationship with our workers," Echegaray said.

Another union called the National Federation of Agricultural Workers (Fentagro), which is affiliated with the CGTP, recently published photos on website Colsiba.org that are purported to show at least one protester with serious injuries.

The same group has since published a list of 29 members of the Sociedad Agrícola Virú Workers' Union who it claimed had been fired by the company. One of the members included the union's general secretary Genaro Quispe Ventura.

Echegaray denied any workers had been fired, adding he was unsure why Fentagro was involved at all as he believed they mainly dealt with bananas.

Heads of Sociedad Agricola Virú met Tuesday for meetings with the worker union at Peru's Ministry of Labor, and Echegaray claims union leaders there admitted they had been at fault.

"The union members admitted their error for this illegal and baseless strike, admitting that there are no profits, calling an end to their use of force, and allowing the company to take disciplinary measures against those who caused damage," he said.

"We are still evaluating the situation, and we still have not taken any action."

At the time of writing, it is unclear if the strikes outside the company's buildings are still underway.

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