Dockworkers in Limón, Costa Rica, have been rebuffed by the government in their attempts to discuss impacts on the community from the proposed building of a private terminal by APM Terminals.
Following the police action to take back the docks of Limón and Moín, representatives of the Sindicato de Trabajadores de JAPDEVA said they will not stop their protest. Ronaldo Blear, head of the SINTRAJAP union, said that if the workers will not hesitate to defend their position with blood.
Early morning violence broke out in the streets of Limón, as workers clashing with police, burning tires, the throwing of stones, and the burning of trailers filled with bananas, among other violent acts. Reports of shots being fired are under investigation.
The violence began late Thursday and escalated as the night wore on, with areas like Cieneguita being a hotbed of the conflict. Clashes between police and strikers was also reported at the Tony Facio hospital.
The union says emphatically that the docks are not working normally, because “police do not know if the container comes filled with is drugs, weapons or radioactive material”
Government officials confirmed they have control of the ports following days of protest that paralyzed all loading and off-loading of ships in the Caribbean port, a port that moves almost three quarters of all container shipments in the country.
While police authorities continue with their operating of the docks, the JAPDEVA is seeking to declare the strike illegal.