The Tico Times Online Daily Page

Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, February 19, 2003

BANANAS: Standard Fruit's labor dispute resolved, for now.
TT/AFP

Labor Ministry Resolves
Workers' Strike in Moín
Acting quickly to end the banana workers' strike at the Atlantic Port of Moín, the Labor Ministry yesterday sent Vice-Minister Fernando Trejos to negotiate a temporary agreement between dock workers and the management of Standard Fruit Company, which produces Dole brand bananas.
(Click for more)

Gas Price Hike Effective Today
As of today, the price of gasoline is going up, reported the daily La Nación.
(Click for more)

February 19

Learn Tango
Register today for tango classes taught by Argentine masters. Classes are at Portofino Candy Shop in San Rafael, Escazú. Info: 228-9487.

"Mazinger Z" Cartoons
Teens and kids: don’t miss the 30 best chapters of this cartoon, shown until Feb. 21. Presentations are Mon., Wed. and Fri. 6-8 p.m., at the Children’s Museum. Info: 223-3551.

Cattle Exhibit Fair
Go to the Southern Zone and visit the Expo-Fair to have a good time watching the best of the region's horses and cattle. And sing at the Karaoke festival, Pérez Zeledón.

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Labor Ministry Resolves
Workers' Strike in Moín
By Fabián Borges
Tico Times Staff

Acting quickly to end the banana workers' strike at the Atlantic Port of Moín, the Labor Ministry yesterday sent Vice-Minister Fernando Trejos to negotiate a temporary agreement between dock workers and the management of Standard Fruit Company, which produces Dole brand bananas.

By yesterday afternoon, banana exports resumed after work was paralyzed for most of Monday.

The labor/management dispute began several weeks ago, when Standard Fruit employees formed a union called the Standard Fruit Company of Costa Rica Workers' Union (SINSTRASFCOCR). Management did not recognize the new union, refusing to grant its leaders the necessary licenses to participate in salary negotiations.

The situation heated up last week when the company fired one of the union's top leaders. Dockworkers responded by declaring a strike Monday morning.

The conflict delayed the loading and export of approximately 540,000 crates of bananas - most of which belonged to Standard Fruit. By midafternoon, banana crates began piling up under the hot sun as the long line of empty ships filled the port.

Trejos was immediately sent to resolve the stalemate, according to Labor Minister Ovidio Pacheco

"It was a long and hard day," Pacheco said. "On two occasions the parties involved tried to walk away from the negotiating table, but we finally able to find a solution around 10 p.m."

Standard Fruit agreed to recognize the new union and will grant its leaders the licenses to negotiate wages, Pacheco said yesterday.

The Labor Ministry also announced it will investigate the fired union leader.

"During the next eight days, we will study the case to determine whether the firing was justified," Pacheco said. "If we determine it was not, we will recommend he be reinstated."

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Intel and Exactus Present
New Business Software for L.A.

U.S. Microchip giant Intel is teaming up with Costa Rican information and technology leader Exactus to introduce Exactus Impulso, a new software program aimed at helping medium-sized Latin American businesses increase efficiency, profit margins and competitiveness, according to an Intel press release.

The new software, unveiled yesterday during a conference attended by U.S. Ambassador John Danilovich and Costa Rican Trade Minister Alberto Trejos, is advertised as the first-ever Enterprise Resource Planning program designed specifically for Latin American businesses.

Exactus Impulso will allow users to have direct Internet access to expert engineers, a Center for Investigation and Development, as well as tools for business analysis, electronic trade and service strategies.

"Small and medium-sized businesses play an important role in the Latin American economy and this technology and information will help these businesses lower their costs while offering better services," said Carlos Kokron, director of Intel Latin America.

Exactus Impulso costs between $12,500 and $22,500 -- 30% to 50% lower than similar software programs in the U.S. and Europe, according to the press release.

For more information about the software program, visit www.exactusimpulso.com.

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Debate Continues Over Future of
Pregnant 9-Year-Old

MANAGUA (AFP) -- As the debate heats up over the fate of a 9-year-old Nicaraguan girl impregnated in Costa Rica, the Nicaraguan government announced yesterday that an independent medical commission will be appointed to decide if she will be allowed to have an abortion in Nicaragua.

The daughter of Nicaraguan coffee pickers, the girl - dubbed "Rosa" by doctors to protect her identity - is 15 weeks pregnant, following an alleged rape by a 20-year-old campesino in the Caribbean-slope town of Turrialba.

Against warnings issued Costa Rican doctors and child welfare officials, the girl's parents took her out of the country and into Nicaragua through the border town of Peñas Blancas last Thursday.

Carlos López, Nicaragua's Child Welfare Prosecutor, recommended last Friday that an abortion be performed on the girl to protect her life from potential complications that could arise as a result of her young pregnancy. (TT Daily Page, Jan. 3,10, 17; Feb. 14).

"The girl's physical integrity and her right to life need to be respected," López stressed.

"The girl's reproductive system measures less than three centimeters in diameter, she doesn't have the necessary hormones for the pregnancy, has never ovulated, and is suffering from two sexually transmitted diseases as a result of the rape," he explained. "She is no condition to continue with this pregnancy."

Rosa's parents and several human rights and women's groups also favor an abortion, and have asked the Nicaraguan government to grant special permission required to perform the procedure.

Nicaraguan health officials, meanwhile, have been hesitant to recommend the abortion, considering that it could pose a greater risk to the girl's life than the pregnancy.

The Catholic Church of Nicaragua has repeatedly stated its position against the abortion.

The parents, accompanied by representatives from various human-rights groups, met yesterday with Health Ministry officials to discuss the girl's future. After the meeting, it was announced that an independent medical board would be appointed to study the case and recommend the best course of action.

Costa Rican police, meanwhile, detained the rape suspect -- identified by the last name Barquero -- in Turrialba Monday morning. The suspect has repeatedly denied his guilt and has requested DNA testing to prove he did not commit the rape.

The suspect will undergo DNA tests this week.

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Gas Price Hike Effective Today

As of today, the price of gasoline is going up, reported the daily La Nación.

The price of "super" gasoline will rise to ¢263.40 a liter ($3.14 per gallon), regular gasoline to ¢251.70 ($3 per gallon) and diesel fuel to ¢185.70 ($2.23 per gallon).

The price increase is blamed on conflicts in two of the world's largest oil-producing nations, Venezuela and Iraq. The two-month-long strike in Venezuela and the threat of war in Iraq have led to sharp increases in the international price of oil, to $36 a barrel.

The Costa Rican Oil Refinery (RECOPE) has already announced a National Emergency Plan to restrict consumption and the circulation of vehicles in the event oil prices climb over $40 a barrel (TT, Jan. 10).

Costa Rica consumes 44,000 barrels of oil each day, all of which are imported.

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