Repression of Unions in Costa Rica; pro-management "Solidarity"

[ECOPAULZ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Since this article is a quite progressive news release on the part of UPI and
thought it was worth sharing with Pen-L.  Note also the development of
"Solidarity" associations, hopefully not a harbinger for anything.

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From: clarinews@xxxxxxxxxxxx (JOHN OTIS)
Newsgroups: clari.biz.labor,clari.biz.features,clari.biz.economy.world
Subject: Mainstream unions virtual outcasts in Central America's model democracy
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 94 8:20:06 PST

	SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (UPI) -- Although it carefully cultivates its
image as a land of peace and prosperity, Costa Rica is no workers'
paradise -- especially for pro-union activists.
	Widespread persecution of mainstream labor organizers and the rise of
pro-management Solidarity groups have nearly forced traditional unions
underground.
	Threatened with a cut-off of U.S. trade benefits, President Rafael
Calderon's government has promised to adopt reforms, but union leaders
contend the cards are still stacked against them.
	``There are no guarantees for labor (here) -- and if a worker can't
fight for his rights, the democracy is very weak,'' says veteran union
organizer Elicier Sanchez.
	Costa Rican unions fell from official grace partly by their own
doing.
	Many earned the wrath of business leaders and the government in
recent years by supporting Nicaragua's Sandinistas and other Central
American revolutionary movements.
	Also, 1980s work stoppages for higher wages also failed because of
Costa Rica's economic troubles.
	Labor's image got further sullied in 1984, when a banana-workers
strike prompted Chiquita Brands to pull out of Costa Rica, costing
thousands of jobs.
	Yet as traditional labor groups falter, Solidarity groups --
essentially company or ``in-house'' unions -- have grown.
	Based on a Catholic doctrine that stresses work-place harmony, the
Solidarity movement goes hand-in-hand with Costa Rica's peaceful
tradition.
	``The unions have a very combative attitude -- a strategy of
confrontation between the worker and the factory,'' says Rodrigo Jimenez
Vega, executive director of the Costa Rican Solidarity Movement.
``Solidarity is like a marriage between the employer and the worker. If
there is mutual affection and respect, it works.''
	Solidarity groups cannot strike or bargain collectively, but offer a
wider range of benefits than most unions, which often focus on wages and
job preservation.
	By contributing 5 percent of their paycheck, Solidarity members
receive low-cost housing, credit, partial control over pension funds and
other benefits.
	Solidarity groups have widespread support among the business
community, and -- with the help of corporate donations -- now dominate the
private sector, with more than 1,500 associations.
	By contrast, traditional unions represent just 2 percent of the
private-sector work force, although mainstream labor still remains
strong in the public sector.
	Traditional labor leaders admit they've made tactical mistakes, but
also blame a culture that tolerates union-busting.
	For instance, private companies can easily fire workers for union
organizing.
	Although officially illegal, the government rarely enforces laws
prohibiting such corporate behavior.
	At the same time, labor disputes can take years to work their way
through the court system, while corporate fines assessed for violations
have sometimes been as low as $10.
	The most high-profile recent case involves LACSA, the national
airline which the government recently privatized.
	As part of an alleged bid to break the pilots' union, LACSA's new
owners recently fired 60 of 70 pilots for dubious reasons.
	Union lawyer Gladys Navas said a legislative commission found the
airline had erred, but had no power to reinstate the pilots.
	A civil lawsuit remains pending in Costa Rican courts, but after
three months on the dole, half of LACSA's affected pilots abandoned the
union and returned to work.
	Still, the LACSA case and others like it caught the attention of the
U.S. AFL-CIO labor federation, which filed a complaint about such
incidents to the the U.S. Trade Representative.
	As a result, the Clinton administration threatened to terminate Costa
Rica's trade privileges -- $400 million of textile, flower and other
export concessions granted to Costa Rica under the under the Caribbean
Basin Initiative and the Generalized System of Preferences.
	Such pressure has apparently worked.
	Costa Rica's legislature last month passed a law to bolster
protection for private-sector union organizers, while President Calderon
persuaded Washington to temporarily drop its labor complaint by pledging
support for a handful of pro-union initiatives.
	Nonetheless, U.S. labor leaders view the Solidarity movement as a
frightening trend.
	While the idea has yet to take hold in the United States, Solidarity
associations have formed in Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela
and elsewhere.
	``(U.S.) unions are worried because (Solidarity) is an anti-union
movement,'' said one Western diplomat. ``It's like being against fascism
all over the world.''
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Paul Zarembka (ECOPAULZ@xxxxxxxxxxxx)