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Costa Rican Unions issue Alert over proposed Labour Reform |
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February 2009, Bananalink
Unions and media from Costa Rica are concerned about the new “Social and Economic Plan” presented by President Oscar Arias' government to mitigate the impact of the financial crisis.
The biggest concern for these organisations is the reform of the Labour Code. The government proposes to increase the number of working hours from 8 to 12 per day. Carlos Arguedas, Environment Secretary from plantation workers' union SITRAP Union, explains: “Companies will be able to avoid paying extra hours. This means a big step backwards for workers. They would work more hours for less money than they earned in in the 1940s”.
This reform would exclude tens of thousands of workers: women, for example, will have to choose between family and work. Unions warn that it will increase the level of workers impoverishment.
Another proposed modification would allow employers to dismiss workers without proper redundancy payments through the social security system. This would leave workers defenceless against companies and will reduce their access to the healthcare system.
Public and private sector workers' unions have issued an alert to all Costa Ricans. Many plantation workers have been earning a similar wage since the 1980s, when the rise in the cost of living is taken into account. In the specific case of banana and pineapple workers, not only has there been a deterioration in economic and social conditions, but there is the constant fight against repression and threats of dismissal for those who join a union.
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