16th May 2007 

 

Thanks to dedicated work by Brendan Archbold, who has just retired as national officer of MANDATE retail workers union in Dublin, Irish trade unions have been raising funds all year for decent housing for trade union activists in Ecuador, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The project, proposed by the regional banana workers union coordinating body COLSIBA, has already raised enough funds for 9 houses for women and men who have dedicated their lives to union work in countries where it is far from easy being a trade union organiser.

 

-    In Ecuador, four houses have already been built and are now lived in by our FENACLE trade union colleagues and their families. A fifth house is nearing completion and will soon be occupied by FENACLE organiser Carmen Banegas. The construction of a sixth house for FENACLE Secretary, Laura Guillén, has taken a little longer because of complications in acquiring the permit to build, but that is now sorted and construction will commence shortly.  

-    In Costa Rica the building work to improve and extend a house for SITRAP organiser Mayela Santamaria it is about to start. Construction is also under way to provide housing for two more Costa Rican trade union activists, which should be finished in the next few weeks.     
“Once again we must convey our heartfelt thanks to the compañeras and compañeros from trade unions in Ireland, and especially to our compañero Brendan, for all their support to the struggle for decent housing for these activists in our organisations”  

Gilberth Bermudez, General Secretary of COLSIBA.