News

UNI Post & Logistics affiliate, SITET is part of a group of unions that have occupied the Costa Rica Ministry of Labour building in a protest about the Governments activities to privatise the local Port and to try and interfere in the legitimate activities of the union to oppose the privatisation. The Labour Ministry has been occupied for several days as the unions demand an agreement with the Labour Minister on the matter.



On Friday 22 January, police forces attacked demonstrators who are in the Ministry of Labour in San José, Costa Rica while dozens of union members are locked inside the building, without the police allowing any entry, exit or any mobility inside the building.



The situation is tense, because it now even restricted to deliver food inside the building.



The unionists said they did not leave the building, because they have been willing to negotiate, but the Minister of Labour was the one who broke the negotiating table, even if the items included are perfectly legal.



UNI Post & Logistics has sent a protest message to the President of Costa Rica and a solidarity message to SITET.



The UNI Post & Logistics message is as follows;



Dear President Sanchez



UNI Post & Logistics Global Union has been advised by our affiliate in Costa Rica, SITET, that your Government is interfering in the sovereign activities of the union representing Port workers in an attempt to legitimise your Governments actions to try and privatise the local port. UNI Post & Logistics Global Union supports these workers in their justified demands and condemns actions by governments to stop legitimate protests by workers against the privatisation of their jobs. In our experience this type of privatisation only leads to job losses and attacks on workers conditions of employment, with no gain for the citizens of Costa Rica.



We urge your Government to respect the rights of its workers and to immediately negotiate a settlement to this matter, and to ensure the workers and their unions can peacefully end their protest in the Ministry of Labour building.



Yours sincerely



Neil Anderson

Head of UNI Post & Logistics