A Union of agricultural labourers has accused a Chiquita Brands International supplier of refusing to allow entry to his plantation to the leaders of a legally-registered Union, while encouraging membership to a new union called Trato Justo (Fair Deal).
The Federation of Unions of Agro-business Labourers (FESTAGRO), administrators of Finca Tropical, collected a number of signatures to join Trato Justo and threatened to fire any members of the Agricultural and Allied Workers Union (STAS).
FESTAGRO also reported that the managers of Finca Tropical denied access to STAS, because they said they were busy attending Trato Justo, which allegedly had no legal documentation.
"Labour violations continue at this Chiquita Brands company, and in some cases things have gone from bad to worse, since both male and female labourers have reported working for fourteen hours a day without receiving overtime pay," stated the complainants, adding: "Our colleague Dilber Vásquez was fired after suffering an accident at work, and so far the management of the company has not responded in full, while the worker is having to pay the therapy to regain mobility of his foot from his own pocket, since his accident caused him severe cuts in the tendons of the knee and has already been operated three times."
The company denied the allegations and denied knowledge of the existence of Dilber Vásquez.