Chile Forum

This is freaky.
Probably very few know that Francisco Javier Errazuriz (aka 'Fra Fra') was a presidential candidate in 1989, together with Büchi and Aylwin, also he is the (former?) owner of Unimarc.
This is not the first time he is involved in weird scandals, but this is really freaky, now he is being accused of bringing some 150 paraguayan workers to work for him, illegally (like there is a shortage of chilean labor?)

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Paraguayan_ ... _id=263942

http://www.lanacion.cl/matthei-caso-de- ... 85547.html

http://radio.uchile.cl/noticias/116513/


Errazuriz replied with a nice propaganda clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MClnLc_OEpA

...

Hell even his paid staff accuse him of being a tyrant who expected 20 hour days out of them.

Well, his reputation is fairly bad to start for a whole lot of other reasons.

In this case, "Slavery" so far sounds like a media spin. Not heard of anyone being locked up. Being a really bad employer does not exactly = slavery. Not payed, no visa, other types of violations, more than likely.

What he got caught doing seems a lot like what a lot of English schools and other biz do when they hire a bunch of foreigners and play fast and loose with the contract and immigration law to avoid paying the taxes and other overhead. Obviously a bunch of poor workers need more protection than most, and what the labor law was targeted at.

On the flip side, and I have said this repeatedly, directed mostly at the foreigners teaching English here under the table (sometimes with the help of the schools), get your ass to immigration with a contract!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is a large group of foreigners working in this country (talking about English teachers in particular), that do not want to pay taxes, so they work off the books without a contract or visa, and then will try to take employers to the labor board (some try even when they do have a contract, and no standing). The labor and immigration laws were geared towards the above people being taken advantage of, not a bunch of snotty ass backpackers from the States and Europe looking to game the labor laws to get a few more pesos out of their boss.

I have no sympathy for either employers or employees gaming the immigration, tax, and labor laws because they are putting every foreigner in this country as risk by abusing the system. Not to mention, you are committing crimes in Chile. Don't abuse the privileged of living in Chile.

High profile cases like this sooner or later lead to someone getting creative with the immigration laws, often with the best intentions, and next thing you know it becomes nearly impossible for anyone to live and work in Chile that is not citizen.

by the way, reason for those that are eligible to apply for citizenship in Chile (5 year residents). Someone might change their mind about that someday.

For those of you who read Spanish here is an interesting article I read the other day on him.

http://www.theclinic.cl/2011/05/29/el-a ... el-diablo/

"Fra Fra

Francisco Javier Errázuriz, su primer cliente conocido, es el único que no busca a Duque. Duque es quien busca: un día, 1989, pasea por Ahumada, ve a unas señoras que gritan Errázuriz, Errázuriz. Gritan y reparten empanadas. Aldo se acerca por las empanadas, se queda por las empanadas, hace campaña por Francisco Javier Errázuriz, se transforma en abogado de Francisco Javier Errázuriz y se cambia de departamento para vivir al lado de Francisco Javier Errázuriz porque Francisco Javier Errázuriz es un tipo absorbente:

-Un día se me ocurre decirle, con mi mejor cara de imbécil: “Don Francisco Javier ¿Este año me podría tomar vacaciones?” Me acuerdo que se baja sus lentes, me abre los ojos y me queda mirando. Y me dice “¿Queee. Mira muchacho. ¿Tú eres errazurista?”. “Sí, don Francisco Javier”, le digo yo”. “Mírame a mi”, me dice. “¿Me has visto tomarme vacaciones?”. “No, don Francisco Javier”. “Dime algo. Qué hora son”. “Cuatro de la mañana, don Francisco Javier”. “Y estoy trabajando acá. Y no me tomo vacaciones. Dime una cosa: ¿tú creís que tenís más plata que yo”. “No, don Francisco Javier”. “O sea no tenís mi edad, no tenís mi plata, no tenís nada de lo que yo tengo y tenis tiempo pa tomarte vacaciones, hueón”."

...

Legal problems

However, the Rancagua Appeals Court accused Errázuriz of "crimes and kidnapping" on December 22, 1998, due to the accusations by attorney Francisco Fernández, who said he had been attacked and retained against his will by workers of Errázuriz in his property in Maule. The Supreme Court voted to strip Errázuriz of his senatorial immunity on 1999, the first time a senator lost his immunity since 1967.

Errázuriz then tried to sue Fernández for libel, but the Rancagua Appeals Court rejected the case. Errázuriz then lodged a complaint against the court. The Supreme Court rejected Errázuriz claims, too, and acquitted Fernández. This was not the end of Errázuriz' legal troubles however.

Errázuriz had been having a legal fight over property against Marcos Jaramillo for a long time, and by 1998 there were several lawsuits between Errázuriz and Jaramillo. Errázuriz decided to take matters into his own hands and threatened Jaramillo with a shotgun when Jaramillo entered what Errázuriz considered his property. Jaramillo then accused Errázuriz of armed trespass and death threats against him and his family. In response, Errázuriz donated his property to the municipality of Pichilemu to make it into a "resort for the people". The court decided against Jaramillo, who was sentenced to prison for 61 days for libel against Errázuriz.

Three of Errázuriz's companies then went bankrupt and investigations were carried out against another of his companies, Inverraz (Inversiones Errázuriz).


Just some of his baggage/////