ITF to ICTSI: End the threats and violence against union workers

The following letter was sent to ICTSI CEO Enrique Razon and several ICTSI executives on Sept. 20, 2013.

[UPDATE: Four months later, in January 2014, the father of Victor Crespo was murdered near his home.]

Mr Enrique K Razon Jr
President
ICTSI
Manila Head Office
ICTSI Administration Building
Manila International Container Terminal
MICT South Access Road, Port of Manila
Manila 1012 Philippines

20 September 2013

Our Ref: D/SJ/SD/PH/ss

Dear Mr Razon Jr

We are writing to you, in your capacity as ICTSI’s President, to express our deepest concern over recent developments in Puerto Cortés, Honduras where ICTSI was awarded a 30 year concession to operate the container and general cargo terminal in February 2013. Of immediate concern are the vicious and potentially life-threatening attacks on a trade union leader in Puerto Cortés which we believe is directly linked to his union’s request for a collective bargaining agreement with the stevedoring companies in the port. This request has been made in strict accordance with Honduran labour legislation.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation represents 4.5 million transport workers from 150 countries worldwide. As a defender of trade union and human rights, we are deeply concerned by the latest attack at the house in Puerto Cortés of Victor Crespo, general secretary of the Sindicato Gremial de Trabajadores del Muelle (SGTM) at 06:50 on 14 September. The attackers only left the scene when they became aware of the number of witnesses they’d awakened in neighbouring premises and on leaving shouted through the door that if Crespo didn’t disappear they’d be back in eight hours to finish the job. The incident follows several anonymous death threats telling Crespo to stop seeking a collective contract at the town’s port. The latest attackers yelled that he should “stop making noise organising stevedores”.

Death threats to a trade unionist on account of their promotion and defence of workers’ rights will not be tolerated by either our organisation or the millions of workers we represent. We have been in touch with the Honduran government over this matter and, as with any case of this gravity, we would be forced to take all possible global action should there be any suggestion of employer involvement in an intimidation campaign of this kind.

As a member of the International Labour Organization, Honduras is bound by the ILO’s 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, in which the ILO identified “core” labour rights that are applicable to all its member states, including Honduras, regardless of their ratification status. These are:

• the right to associate (ILO Convention No. 87);
• the right to organize and bargain collectively (ILO Convention No. 98);
• equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination (ILO Convention Nos. 100 and 111);
• prohibition of forced labour (ILO Convention Nos. 29 and 105); and
• prohibition of child labour (ILO Convention No.138)

These standards are applicable to all employers in Honduras, including stevedoring companies in Puerto Cortés and ICTSI, its subsidiaries and joint ventures, and its subcontractors. We note from ICTSI’s corporate governance manual that its Board must ensure the ‘faithful compliance by the Corporation of all applicable laws, regulations and applicable best business practices’. We also note from ICTSI’s Compliance with Corporate Governance Guidelines disclosure submission to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) on 25 March 2013 that the auditor and compliance officer indicated that ICTSI is compliant with Guideline 8 (Respects and protects the rights and interests of employees, community, environment and other stakeholders) and Guideline 10 (Develops and nurtures a culture of ethics, compliance and enforcement).

In light of both ICTSI’s own corporate governance and the PSE Compliance submission, we request that in anticipation of ICTSI physically taking over the Puerto Cortés operations that ICTSI publicly denounces all violence, intimidation and threats against workers rights to freely organise and bargain in unions of their own choice and to publicly state your company’s respect for international labour standards including the Freedom of Association and the Right to Collectively Bargain.

We are hopeful of an immediate end to all violence and threats against Mr Crespo and other SGTM members and activists. We look forward to receiving ICTSI’s written assurances that ICSTI at global, regional and local management levels respects the rights of workers in Puerto Cortés to request and negotiate a collective bargaining agreement to regulate their labour conditions, and for that CBA to be concluded and respected.

Yours faithfully

Sharon James
ITF Dockers Section Secretary

Cc:
Marcelo J. Suarez, ICTSI Senior VP Americas
Susan S Domingo, ICTSI VP Audit and Compliance
Juan Corujo, Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana CEO
Antonio Fritz, ITF Americas Secretary

Click on the image to download a PDF file of the letter from ITF to ICTSI CEO Enrique Razon re violence in Honduras