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Over the last fortnight Albino Vargas, General Secretary of both the National Association of Public and Private Employees (ANEP) and of the Juanito Mora Social Confederation, has been receiving death threats. ANEP is the biggest independent trade union in Costa Rica. The threats have taken different forms, but the message has been the same: stop opposing, disrupting and speaking against the Free Trade Agreement between Central America and the United States (CAFTA), or

else the same could happen as with Parmenio Medina who was killed three years ago; nobody has yet been identified as responsible for the murder. Last week, a group of armed men attacked the office of the Central de Trabajadores Rerum Novarum, affiliated to the ICFTU. On that occasion, they threatened all the office staff and trade union leaders present, stealing two computers containing important documents; the threat was also focused on the unions' position on the CAFTA. Another event in recent days is the series of injunctions presented in Costa Rica's Constitutional Court (Sala IV) against the key trade union-related clauses of the collective bargaining agreements in the public sector. These legal actions were initiated by ex-members of Congress belonging to the Libertarian Movement; although they target the agreements in the public sector, the decisions of the Court will de facto affect collective bargaining agreements in the private sector.

All these events coincide with the arrival in power of President Oscar Arias Sanchez, Nobel Peace Prize winner, on 8th May. His electoral campaign was clearly focused on the need to ratify the CAFTA; Costa Rica being the only country not to have ratified it to date. The unions are stating that, if the social policy of the new government does not change, there will be two days of national action on 7th and 8th June.

You can help! Visit the LabourStart website and lobby the President of Costa Rica, asking that he respects labour rights and works to avoid social confrontation in a country that enjoys a reputation for being a haven of democracy.

UPDATE 

Albino Vargas, General Secretary of ANEP in Costa Rica writes:

"We were really impressed with so much solidarity; it was very valuable, very timely and really raised our morale for continuing the battle against his pernicious Central American Free Trade Agreement and the neoliberal policies of President Oscar Arias Sanchez.

For the time being, things have quietened down. The most brutal anti-union attacks from the far-right have stopped. The multi-million dollar pro-CAFTA campaign has also stopped. It seems there is a kind of stand-off of pro- and anti-CAFTA forces. However, we are sure that we will have to pursue the struggle on the streets in the days ahead, so we would like all our friends from all the organisations who've given us so much solidarity to stay alert to news of the social struggle of the people of Costa Rica.

Thank you very much to everybody. Your solidarity was timely and it worked. But please do not abandon us now that you have come to know about us, because there are very hard times ahead, with many risks and maybe much pain."