Unions of Nicaragua and Costa Rica join forces to protect migrant workers
Brussels, 27 March 2007: The workers of Nicaragua have a long tradition of emigrating to Costa Rica, mainly to work in agriculture. That neighbouring country, though better off and more stable in social terms, is not capable, however, of providing them with the same level of working conditions and social benefits enjoyed by its own nationals. Roberto Antonio Ruiz, the General Secretary of the Nicaraguan Banana Workers Union, FETRABACH-CST (1), explains this migration and the attempts to improve migrants’ conditions through cooperation with Costa Rican trade unions.
What pushes Nicaraguans to seek work abroad, what are the historical and structural causes of emigration?
Nicaraguan workers emigrate to many different countries, to the United States, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, but most of the emigrant community is concentrated in Costa Rica. Historically, Costa Rica has always attracted Nicaraguans because of its economic prosperity and its social stability. They initially went to work in agriculture, in sugar cane, banana harvesting or coffee picking. People have been emigrating for a long time, ever since the dictatorships of the Somoza family. Then, during the conflicts of the 1980s, when the war (2) broke out, people went in search of refuge and safety. On top of that, cotton growing, which was the foundation of the Nicaraguan economy, was abandoned, and people were left without jobs. With the government of Violeta Chamorro, they started to close down the State companies created by the Sandinista government, and migration has been intensified since 1991, with the neoliberal policies. Economic restructuring, the closure of companies, cuts in the workers’ social benefits and the disappearance of collective agreements have accentuated emigration. Rural areas have not seen any policies to refinance agriculture. Agricultural workers need incentives and credits to work the land, otherwise they leave it and go to the cities or to other countries. Other factors stimulating migration are the natural disasters. Nicaragua is one of the Central American countries most vulnerable to earthquakes, hurricanes and tropical rain (3).
Could you give us an insight into how migrants live in Costa Rica?
There is no doubt that Nicaraguan workers in Costa Rica are generally mistreated by employers and do not receive the same social benefits as Costa Rican workers. Employers prefer hiring illegal immigrants so that they can take advantage of their illegal status and disregard their labour rights, such as fair wages, working hours and compensation. As regards their activities, they often work in the agricultural sector, but are also widely employed in construction. In the services sector, they work as security guards or domestic workers. It can also be said that there are two types of migrants: those who go to stay and those who cross the border to work temporarily in Costa Rica’s agro-export sector, as is the case with the banana or pineapple harvesters.
Are Nicaraguan unions cooperating with Costa Rican unions to address the problems of migrant workers?
Yes, we, the banana workers, have organised initiatives and discussions with the Coordinadora de Sindicatos Bananeros of Costa Rica (COSIBA), and the relations we’ve established with the Rerum Novarum Trade Union Confederation should lead to joint efforts to improve the conditions of migrant workers and to represent them before government institutions. In this respect, discussions have been held with the migration authorities of Costa Rica, as well as with members of Parliament, about Costa Rica’s recently amended migration law, which has seriously undermined the living and working conditions of immigrants and their families.
How does this law affect workers?
As regards the banana workers, many of them enjoy the same status as the national workers employed in the same companies but do not have legal residence, either because they are doing temporary work or because they haven’t applied for this document. They could be deported and lose their right to benefits such as the payment of notice, an equal wage, public holidays, annual leave, year-end bonuses or even their pension contributions. Not to mention the workers who have neither a contract nor legal residence, and will be treated like common criminals. In any case, COSIBA and various other agricultural unions are pressing the Costa Rican government to grant a migration amnesty so that all workers with recognised rights can legalise their status.
How willing are workers to join a union? Are membership levels high?
Very few migrants, whether legal or illegal, join unions. That’s why it is so important to start education and awareness raising initiatives. Most of the migrants are young workers, aged between 16 and 20, and have had no prior work or trade union experience in Nicaragua, which influences them when it comes to joining a union across the border. Efforts to organise migrant workers are vital, as they would not only contribute to protecting the workers, but would also strengthen the trade union organisations, which have to confront the problems of globalisation.
Finally, do migrant workers influence the social and political situation in Nicaragua?
You see migrant workers all over the world having a major influence on their countries of origin. In the case of the Nicaraguans in Costa Rica, they have no direct influence on politics, but they do have a major influence on society, on the situation of each of their families. People with relatives in Costa Rica expect them to send money. Others hope to follow their example and try their luck in Costa Rica. In spite of everything, the Nicaraguan population is also finding out that there is a much better organised social security system in Costa Rica, with institutions concerned about the population’s social development and, most importantly, that it is a country where you can find work.
Interview by Alberto A. Zalles
(1) Federación de Trabajadores Bananeros del Departamento de Chinandega
(2) Civil war between the government of the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) and the “Contra” revolution. The conflict spanned the whole of the 1980s.
(3) Managua, the capital, was destroyed by an earthquake in 1972. Hurricane Mitch, in 1998, caused terrible damage, especially in Nicaragua.
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