Chiquita Brands and its peculiar take on respecting rights
A completely avoidable workplace accident happened at Finca Álamo, an establishment owned by Chiquita Brands (Safra Group and Cutrale), located in Sarapiquí: a worker who had recently undergone knee surgery and was still walking with difficulty with the aid of a cane was forced by management to bag bananas.
Frank Ulloa
27 | 09 | 2023
The task this man was ordered to do involved carrying bags of bananas up a ladder propped up on a wet and spongy floor that provided little stability.
The worker fell and was unable to move. He was taken to the administration office and left there for hours, lying on the concrete floor, moaning in pain, until an ambulance finally arrived and he was transferred to a social security clinic.
It was down to the union leaders to request medical attention for the worker and have him taken to the clinic.
The workers and their union had been calling for a discussion on occupational health at the Chiquita Brands banana establishments, but management had not responded. The workers are ignored, combated, and excluded from participating in the solutions.
Faced with the shortsightedness of the company, the workers have chosen to denounce. Perhaps one day the multinational corporation will decide to respect them and respect trade union freedom.
A picture is worth a thousand words.