Costa Rica: Blatant Interference by Government into Trade Union Affairs

[Judi Lynn]

Costa Rica: Blatant Interference by Government into Trade Union Affairs

Brussels, 26 January 2010: The ITUC, its regional organisation TUCA and its affiliates in Costa Rica roundly condemn the attempts by the government and the JAPDEVA port authority to undermine the leadership of the workers’ union SINTRAJAP, which is campaigning against the privatisation of the Limón port in the Caribbean.

According to information received by the ITUC, the Costa Rican government decided to privatise the Limón port, and in seeking to do so has violated the human, labour and trade union rights of SINTRAJAP as well as Conventions 87 and 98 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

On 15 January, the JAPDEVA port authority’s management held a parallel general assembly in one of the company’s storerooms for workers close to the government, in violation of the principle of trade union independence enshrined in Convention 87.

This assembly, composed of a small group of people, approved the removal of the legitimate leadership of SINTRAJAP and proceded to appoint a new set of leaders. The Labour Ministry, for its part, has charged the union in court with unfair labour practices, with the aim of destroying the union by legal means.

More:
http://www.ituc-csi.org/costa-rica-blatant-interference-by.html

[Peace Patriot]

1. "Free trade for the rich"!--Costa Rica will come to deeply regret that bullied/bribed election.

CAFTA--and a very close vote it was, with Oscar Arias calling in all his "chips" in Costa Rica, to do the bidding of the U.S. The labor unions and other grass roots groups mounted a huge effort against it and lost by only a hair. (It was also a close vote in the U.S. House--passed by only two votes--because it is, without question, an assault on our sovereignty as well as on the other countries involved.)

The consequences will be slave labor--that is what CAFTA is FOR.--even in Costa Rica, which has had a relatively high standard of living, due to prior social justice policies. The rich and the corporate will loot it blind, and they will do so using fake "liberal" politicians so like our "Blue Dogs" and DLCers.

Totally disgusting.

Be advised, too, that this attempt to destroy the dockworkers' union in Costa Rica is part of a "circle the wagons" strategy, made-in-the-USA, to create the entire northern South America (Colombia, northern Venezuela)/Central America/Caribbean region as one big U.S.-dominated "free trade for the rich" zone enforced by the U.S. "Southern Command." That is the reason for the reconstitution of the US 4th Fleet in the Caribbean, the SEVEN new U.S. military bases in Colombia, the beefed up U.S. military bases in Panama and the Dutch islands (off Venezuela's oil coast), securing of the U.S. military base and port facilities in Honduras with a rightwing military coup, and the U.S. "war on drugs" in Mexico, Guatemala and throughout the region. They want to grab Venezuela's oil coast and maybe net in Ecuador's oil as well (adjacent to Colombia to the south), and militarize this area to be able to fill the Pentagon's big gas tank and to continue degrading labor rights here in favor of slave labor there.

CAFTA was sold as a "raise all boats" policy. That was the biggest lie ever told. It is a SINK ALL SMALL BOATS policy--for dragging Costa Rica down to Honduran and other low standards (pittance wages, no rights, no sovereignty, no defenses against U.S. agricultural dumping, etc.)--and to negate labor rights and the 'will of the people" here as well.

U.S. "free trade" = free fire zone against union leaders and members and all labor, civil and human rights.