Local media has reported that around 500 Del Monte workers operating on banana plantations in the Sixaola region, near the Panama border, have gone on strike over their pay.
The Del Monte employees, who work across three plantations and consist of Costa Ricans, Nicaraguans and indigenous Guaymi of Panama, told Inside Costa Rica that they had been attempting to negotiate a deal with the company for nearly a year and a half.
In an attempt to solve the dispute, the Costa Rican Ministerio de Trabejo (Ministry of Labour) is set to step in, minister Sandra Piszk confirmed.
However, Inside Costa Rica reported that representatives of the National Banana Corporation (CORBANA) had opted to stay out of the conflict, deciding it was a company, rather than an industry, matter.
