Business anger triggered by Francisco González Sánchez
Statements by Francisco González Sánchez, commercial director of Hamilton and & Co. (a subsidiary of the Catalan group Transcoma), have sparked a wave of outrage across the business community of the Port of Las Palmas. The full-rejection amendment issued by the executive against the Association of Shipbrokers and Stevedores of Las Palmas (Asocelpa) has been met with deep discomfort by long-standing local operators. González’s public criticism—in which he accused the employers’ association of being tied up by inefficient structures, attacked the “balcony police” and labelled small operators as “paper consignors”—has blown apart social peace inside the century-old institution.
“It’s a god in a god-owned company”
A businessman in the sector, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “Things like this with Cardona at Hamilton didn’t happen; you can’t attack in that way as he has done—he’s ended up making himself look ridiculous. He doesn’t want to understand that the small players are more profitable than Transcoma; we’re better organized; we pay better wages to the people here. I mean, we’re not ‘gods’ and certainly not chauvinist.” In the Canary Islands, “godos” is how people refer to mainlanders who treat islanders with contempt. Canarymaritime did not contact Asolcelpa after speaking with Port of Las Palmas business executives and members of that employers’ group.
A fight for control, driven by ego
“He wants to take power within Asocelpa. It’s an issue of ego. But he forgets that he is an employee, and employees have ways to organize their representation through unions—he should speak with the stevedores, and there he might even have family,” said a logistics-sector businesswoman from Las Palmas. Within Asocelpa, power lies with Eduardo Álvarez (Albatros Inter Shipping) and his vice president, Carmen Moreno (MSC Spain). The board that Transcoma has targeted is made up of: Federico López (Noatum Maritime Spain), and the secretary will be Alejandro García-Reboredo (A. Pérez y Cía, S.L.). The vocal roles are held by Gabriela Esquivel (Canarias Shipping), Francisco Naranjo (Romeu via Gesport Terminal Marítima); Gustavo Vidueira (J.A. Arocha) and Javier Delgado (Canarship, also of Romeu). Until 2029, this team will develop a strategic action at a crucial time to define the port’s and the sector’s competitiveness for the immediate future.
“He forgets he is an employee, not a business owner”
Transcoma’s demand to change the weighted voting system in favour of corporations with larger investing volume clashes directly with the employers’ association’s democratic tradition. While internal sanction requests are being processed, the public standoff between the continental logistics giants and the historic island firms reveals a structural split inside Gran Canaria’s economic engine. “Sure, there are things we might agree on, but what he said isn’t done in the press. By the way, it’s the same one he attacks for not dancing to his tune, and less so against an employers’ association of which he is a partner. The best thing is that he goes off to tend to Fedeport—our support will never be there with that kind of attitude,” said a consignor based in El Sebadal.
The reaction from members has been immediate and forceful. Other maritime business leaders describe González’s manoeuvre as irresponsible and reckless, for opening an internal rift at a moment of maximum operational and political sensitivity in the port area. They also point out that a Barcelona subsidiary of Transcoma is in receivership over a 50 million euro debt. Industry sources say Transcoma’s slurs amount to “an unprecedented attack on the representativeness of an employers’ association that has acted as a historical counterweight against public authorities and large logistics monopolies.”
An invitation to leave
Tension has escalated to the point that several associates have begun probing the statutory channels to demand the adoption of drastic disciplinary measures. Asocelpa’s internal regulations expressly provide for the expulsion of member firms if a justified breach of the organization’s corporate or institutional image is proven. Several long-standing members believe the public outburst by Transcoma’s branch directly falls under that grounds for sanction and are calling for a swift response to preserve the entity’s prestige.
González’s attack has also taken on a social and territorial dimension within the quay. Among the harshest voices in local business circles, the manoeuvre is seen as the interference of an executive from an outside group focused on weakening an organization traditionally rooted in the archipelago. Some associates consulted by Canarymaritime interpret this conflict as the right opportunity to remove from the employers’ association a company with mainland leadership—whom they accuse of undermining the cohesion of the port collective—hinting at a background of prejudice against an institution managed by a woman.
The article “Business outrage over Transcoma’s offensive against Asocelpa at Las Palmas port” was first published on canarymaritime.com.
