Article 873-H Federal Labor Law

The trial hearing shall be held with the appearance of the parties present at its opening. Those that have not appeared at its beginning may intervene at the moment they present themselves, provided the judge has not declared it concluded. If the parties do not appear, the hearing shall be held with the material available in the record and the warnings previously made to the parties shall be enforced.

The judge shall have the broadest powers to conduct the proceeding; he shall note for the record the presence of the parties appearing at the hearing, as well as of the witnesses and experts who will intervene; likewise, he shall verify the availability of the documents to be exhibited and shall moderate the development of the statements of those who intervene in the hearing; if applicable, he shall analyze and rule on the evidence that the parties present as supervening, for its admission or rejection as may correspond.