New challenge on the table of the employers’ association of the ports of the Canary Islands (Fedeport). The leadership of the CEOE of Tenerife faces a significant legal risk. The hotel employers’ association has demanded the withdrawal of the reform of the Ethical Code and Good Governance included in the agenda of the last General Assembly. The central argument holds that the current leadership lacks institutional legitimacy to implement structural changes while the litigation over the validity of the elections held in April 2022 persists. At least it is not like in Las Palmas where the right-wing stevedoring union is part of the CCE.
The formal requirement warns the president of the organization, Pedro Alfonso Martín, about possible legal actions if he persists with this agenda. The legal basis for the claim is grounded in the ruling issued in May 2024 by the Court of First Instance number 1 of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. This ruling upheld the claim presented against the electoral process, nullifying the agreements that originated the current mandate.
The power of the CEOE of Tenerife is distributed as follows: The Vice Presidencies of Business Organizations and Companies are composed of Ángela Delgado Díaz (ASAGA Canarias ASAJA), Óscar Izquierdo (FEPECO), Juan Antonio Jiménez (FEMETE), Jorge Escuder (ASINCA), Abbas Moujir Hegeige (FAUCA) and Tomás Barreto Lorenzo (AGRUCAN), Bernabé Rodríguez (Grupo DISA), Juan García (Moeve), Francisco Javier Zamorano Sáenz (Grupo CIO), and Manuel Valle Lopera (Grupo Valora). The Treasury is managed by Ana Muñoz González (Emelsa Servicios). Additionally, Elena Vela heads the General Secretariat.
Warning
Although the ruling is under appeal, the prevailing criterion is that the judicial decision limits the operation of the board. According to this reasoning, any decision that exceeds routine administrative management lacks sufficient legal backing until the judicial controversy is resolved. The modification of the Ethical Code, being a substantial alteration of the internal functioning, is classified as a measure outside the remit of the committee in a transitional situation.
The warning extends beyond the presidency and reaches the entire board of directors. The legal document informs the members that backing proposals that exceed ordinary functions carries a financial risk. The members of the governing body could incur personal liabilities before the courts if the agreements made result in economic or reputational harm to the entity or third parties.
The hotel employers’ association keeps the path of litigation open. The document expressly reserves the right to contest any assembly agreement approved under the current legal questioning. The potential filing of lawsuits for damages, coupled with other precautionary measures, places the structure of the Tenerife employers’ association in a scenario of operational paralysis and high corporate uncertainty.
