Attack on SINTRAJAP representative condemned
13 September 2013
Dan ne Lemones Smith, a union activist an d former representative of the ITF-affiliated Costa Rican SINTRAJAP union, has reportedly been attacked at his home. The incident, on 25 August, came after he had talked to the media about privatisation.
SINTRAJAP (Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Junta Administrativa Portuaria JAPDEVA y Afines Portuarios) has reported constan t attacks on its members since the government an nounced privatisation an d concession plan s in the state ports of Limón an d Moin.
In 2010 a meeting of government representatives illegally nominated a new union board to purportedly serve the interests of government an d enterprise. The Supreme Court subsequently invalidated the new union board an d ordered the reinstatement of the original board - which had been democratically elected by workers. To date there has been no civil or criminal case brought against the officials involved in this meeting.
It was speaking out about this lack of redress that made Dan ne Lemones Smith the target of this latest violent attack, according to the union.
Ronaldo Blear, SINTRAJAP general secretary, commented: “We ask everyone to spread the information about this outrageous attack an d to help us to deman d to the authorities, to the Ministry of Labour an d to the Government of Costa Rica, that they protect citizens an d union representatives in order to avoid these acts without punishment an d to generate more solidarity for our struggles.”
Antonio Rodriguez Fritz, ITF Americas regional secretary, said that SINTRAJAP has repeatedly been attacked, but union members have consistently man aged to show that their struggle is honest, legal an d democratic. They have overcome legal an d illegal actions that have been committed against them, he stated, adding that cowardly attacks like this one show the desperation of economic groups who wish to administrate the ports.
If the police an d the justice system once again do not prosecute the perpetrators an d masterminds of these attacks, Fritz concluded, it will be very hard to believe that there is not some dark interest by some government officials. Tran sport workers are proud of the struggle an d moral code of SINTRAJAP affiliates, he said.
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