Category Archives: Guatemala

Jorge Arenales joins BLP, bolstering the Firm’s expertise in Corporate, Transaction and Finance matters

We are thrilled to announce the incorporation of esteemed legal professional Jorge Arenales as a new partner. With a remarkable background in corporate and finance matters, Arenales brings a wealth of experience and an outstanding reputation to our firm. Arenales has demonstrated his exceptional legal skills throughout his career. Prior to joining BLP, he served…

The importance of franchises to do business in Guatemala

https://blplegal.com/blp-web-2021/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/La-importancia-de-las-franquicias-para-hacer-negocios-en-Guatemala_FOTO-.png Jeaneth Divas Senior Associate Guatemala [email protected] Legal framework of the Franchise Agreement in Guatemala Franchising is a result of commercial expansion around the world; it is a way by which a merchant/entrepreneur who already has an established, proven, and successful business model in the marketing of its products and services under an identifying trade…

Holiday in Central America: International Workers Day, May 1, 2023

On Monday, May 1, the countries of Central America celebrate International Workers Day (Labor Day), regulated in the region as follows: Guatemala: The holiday is a mandatory payment day. An employer must pay an employee who works on May 1 time and a half (1.5 times the ordinary salary) as compensation for the day. Honduras:…

Holy week holidays in Central America – 2023

During the week of April 2 to April 9, Central America celebrates Holy Week, which entails the enjoyment of holidays regulated by each country as follows: Guatemala: The holidays, which begin at noon on Wednesday, April 5, and continue until the end of Saturday, April 8, are mandatory payment days when an employer must pay…

BLP advises Huntsman Corporation on the sale of its operation in Guatemala

BLP has advised Huntsman Corporation, a publicly traded global manufacturer and marketer of specialty and differentiated chemical products with revenues of approximately $8 billion annually, on selling its textile operations in Guatemala as part of a global transaction.   Huntsman Corporation sold its division to Archroma, an SK Capital Partners portfolio company, for S593 million in…

New Regulations for the Issuance of Labor Misdemeanors Reports

It is essential for companies that submit quotations and bids for products and services to the State and its agencies to be informed that, as of Monday, March 6, new Regulations issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare will come into effect, with the following characteristics: 1. In the Registry of Absences from…

Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst: Regulatory Changes in Guatemalan Social Security

 The phrase, “Hope for the best, plan for the worst,” is one I heard in a spy movie, and searching for a title for this article, it occurred to me that we could use that phrase to identify the role played by labor consultants.  There are many anecdotes. The companies that granted payments, bonuses, commissions,…

New Court will hear cases on disobedience for failure to comply with reinstatement and orders of the Labor and Social Security Courts

Through Agreement 33-2022, the Supreme Court of Justice created the “Pluripersonal Criminal Peace Court to hear the crime of disobedience of labor and social security resolutions”. The Agreement published on February 9, 2023, delimits the competence of the Court to hear the Crimes of Disobedience (Articles 414 and 420 of the Penal Code, depending on…

Avianca is LatinFinance’s Deal of the Year recipient for whom BLP advised restructuring more than $1 billion in debt

LatinFinance announced the winners of its annual Deal of the Year awards, for which our client Avianca’s transaction was recognized with the Corporate Restructuring award, restructuring more than $1 billion in debt.   Through its offices in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Costa Rica, BLP advised Latin American airline Avianca during its restructuring process.    Colombian airline,…

Guatemala repeals regulations for the prevention of COVID-19 in workplaces

The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare published Governmental Agreement No. 19-2023, which repeals the regulations contained in Governmental Agreement 179-2022 of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare for the prevention of COVID-19 in work centers. Therefore, the following provisions are no longer in effect and are no longer applicable to any work center….