Costa Rica Caribbean ports of Moín and Alemán, in the province of Limón, continued to be paralyzed since Tuesday by a strike protesting government attempts to grant an exclusive concession, to Dutch Transnational APM Terminals for loading and unloading at a new pier.
In the early hours of this morning (Thursday) police were called in to intervene to service the six ships docked at Moín.
According to Allan Hidalgo, president of Japdeva, a Panamanian master was brought in to guide the work after officers of the Dirección de Inteligencia y Seguridad Nacional (DIS) with the support of the Fuerza Pública, the Unidad de Intervención Policial (UIP) and Grupo de Apoyo Operacional (GAO) took control of the port.
Carlos Brenes, head of the workers union, Sintrajap, said in the early morning taking of the port by security forces worsens the negotiation process with the government.
The protest by members of the Junta de Administración y Desarrollo Portuario de la Vertiente Atlántica (Japdeva) has halted operations at both of Costa Rica’s most important ports, where more than 70% of the national container traffic is handled, said Government Minister Carlos Benavides.
Union spokesman Jose Luis Castillo explained that the union is opposed to the monopoly which will cause many workers to lose their jobs.
The $990 million new pier is supposed to open in 2016.