Community and respect for life (A) The Role of Nestlé Colombia in society

It was September 2018, and Antonio Núñez Lemos arrived in Bogotá as the top executive of Nestlé in Colombia. The situation and atmosphere were very tense. In May 2018, three Nestlé workers from the Bugalagrande factory had been murdered just days before the start of negotiations for the factory’s labor agreement. Those killings had just been followed by another one that same September, coinciding with Antonio’s arrival.
The murdered individuals were members of the factory’s most important union, and although no link could ever be established between the murders and union activity, Nestlé was once again being questioned about its role in defending union leaders. Antonio was convinced that they needed to take action — but how should they do it? What role should Nestlé assume in response to these murders? What did society and the company’s workers expect from them?