Pineapple production shifted from Hawai'i to Costa Rica in recent years.
The Pineapple industry was struck another blow yesterday when the Asociación Nacional de Empleados Públicos y Privados (ANEP) – National Association of Public and Private Employees union of Costa Rica filed complaints against Agromonte, (an agricultural company that works in pineapple plantations). Chiquita is amongst Agromonte’s customers.
“This enterprise does not respect workers’ rights, nor the condition of children,” the association said.
The ANEP said that they had found several teenagers who worked up to 12 hours a day in these fields, and said that one of them lost a finger while farming.