On Thursday, the government officially opened the new container terminal of Moin, which was given in concession to the APM Terminals company. On Sunday, it became public that Chiquita Brands was closing its Port Operations department in Limon on Monday.
This was indicated in a statement addressed to workers in this department, dated Sunday March 3 and signed by Esteban Otárola, Logistics manager.
"This concession requires the container ships to operate exclusively in this terminal, which will provide an integral service to the containers," according to the statement.
In the communication from Chiquita, employees are told that they should no longer go to their workplace and that they would receive a settlement on March 19.
"APM Terminals is disrespecting the port authority, port workers and their families, as well as the concession contract, with no regard of the harm it has on the consolidated legal status of each of the more than 5,405 direct jobs in the port activity and the multiplying effect of the direct and indirect dependency people have on a fixed salary, causing irreparable and iimmeasurable damage to the active economic community of the province of Limon," posted somebody on Japdeva's Facebook page after the news became public.
At the end of January, Dole also dismissed 240 employees from the Port Operations Department and from the Standard Fruit Company Workshop in Costa Rica, arguing the same reasons.
Several deputies in the area warned that unemployment would increase with the entry of APM Terminals and have asked the government to take action.
Chiquita Brands laid off at least 200 employees; far from solving the lack of jobs in the Caribbean, this seems to make matters worse.
