GMB Delegation visit Costa Rica
Elaine Daley – GMB Central Executive Council
Member
I was honoured to be part of a recent GMB Delegation visit to
Costa Rica in Central America.
On 13th September the GMB joined forces with our
Costa Rican sister union SITRAP and representatives signed a
co-operation agreement: both unions will now be working in
partnership together to fight the exploitation of workers in Costa
Rica, helping to share the struggle.
We spent our first week in the town of Siquirres - weather
conditions was hot and humid after three days of rain so taking
cold showers in our basic but clean accommodation was not the
ordeal we were expecting.
Our itinerary began with a welcome meeting at SITRAP
headquarters. Gilbert Bermudez Umana SITRAP General Secretary
said SITRAP was trying to make the best of the resources available
during one of the most difficult times in their history – with the
Government attacking trade unions it has always been difficult but
this had now intensified.
Costa Rica is the primary exporter of pineapples in the world
and we began with a tour around communities affected by
contamination caused by expansion of the pineapple plantations and
were able to speak to union members living and working on the
following plantations many of whom had travelled miles to attend
the GMB delegation meetings which had been arranged in various
locations: Zent, Pina, Bonanza, Del Monte, Formoza, Del Garvo, also
port workers (SITRAJAP union) in the province of Limon. We covered
many miles each day visiting banana and pineapple plantations; the
dusty makeshift roads leading to the plantations made the terrain
very difficult and avoiding potholes became a mission!
Each union member had a story to tell and it soon became clear
that all was not well. Costa Rica is a tropical paradise which is
being spoiled. The multi-national fruit companies such as Dole and
Del Monte use pesticides on the crops and there was evidence that
non-plantation areas are sprayed regularly causing chronic
health problems for many workers as well as great
environmental destruction.
Added to this the repression of workers’ rights and intimidation
of trade unionists who dare to speak out is rife and becoming a
worrying trend. Plantation workers’ injuries included a worker who
had lost his eye due to inadequate safety precautions and severe
skin allergies caused by agrochemicals.
We also visited an Eco Banana Washing and Packing plant where
workers were less exposed to the chronic effects of the
pesticides.
Whilst at a meeting at Asdeice trade union offices in San Jose
we heard the harrowing testimonies of two women workers from St
Peter pineapple plantation who had been sacked due to sexual
harassment at work. One worker broke down when describing the
persecution they had suffered for being trade unionists and we
later heard that they would be bringing a case against the company
for sexual harassment gender discrimination and trade union
persecution.
We also visited the former home of the SITRAP activist Allan
Hernandez Venegas whose house was burned down for recruiting
members on a Costa Rican Pineapple plantation – rebuilding work is
now well underway thanks to GMB members’ efforts. Allan and his
family have been living in temporary accommodation with his sister
and her family and welcomed us into their home to give us an update
on what has been happening.
During our second week we also attended a World Banana
Conference in the capital San Jose which was attended by a host of
officials including the Costa Rican Ambassador and Ambassadors from
the UK and Norway as well as various multi-national companies
connected to the banana and pineapple industry such as Tesco Chile
and BAMA. The GMB International Officer Bert Schouwenburg was asked
to speak at the conference and translated his views in terms of
what was happening on the ground to workers inside the
plantations.
The GMB delegation led by the International Officer later made a
press statement about our findings over the treatment of trade
union workers inside the plantations.