Chiquita Brands Costa Rica closed its Limon port operations department on Monday (March 4), according to an internal statement that circulated on social networks on Sunday, March 3.
Geovanny Díaz, of the Ministry of Labor, reported that on Friday, March 1, they received a request on the part of the company for a conciliation process due to a social-economic conflict on the part of the union.
“This is before the dismissal letter from the company. After this we have had contact with the parties looking for all the possibilities of social dialogue for a possible resolution of the conflict,” he said.
Díaz specified that around 175 people were laid off.
The company, in the statement, noted the opening of the Terminal de Contenedores de Moín (TCM) – APM Terminals – with its complementary port services no longer required the services ‘third’ party services outsourced to stowage companies (loading and unloading of ships) and patios (packaging and repair of containers), among others, not offered by the state port service, the Junta de Administración Portuaria y de Desarrollo Económico de la Vertiente Atlántica de Costa Rica (Japdeva).
According to the company, the TCM offers centralized operations for cargo ships, closing the market for the companies that provided that support to Japdeva.
The Chiquita closure is preceded by f Dole, which on January 24 laid off 240 people as a result of the closure of its terminal work center and container workshop in Limón.
