Two Ecuadorian trade unionists are visiting Europe until the end of the month to call on consumers to boycott all bananas from their country and garner support internationally for workers affected by alleged union busting and child labour. 'We are seeking international support,' said Moises Arturo Fuentefria 'because we do not have freedom of association in the Ecuadorian banana industry but repression.' Fuentefria works at the Noboa-owned Los Alamos plantation where workers have been on strike since May 6 and suffered violence and intimidation at the hands of masked armed raiders on May 16.

The delegation is meeting European trade unions, consumer and human rights groups, and members of the European Parliament. 'We have come to denounce the activity of those banana companies which are not acting in accordance with Ecuadorian law and are mistreating and evicting workers,' Juan Lopez Leon of Ecuadorian union Fenacle told the Journal. He insisted that their motivation is not political despite claims by company boss and presidential candidate Alvaro Noboa that his political detractors are attempting to sully his name in the run up to elections later this year.

Alfredo Pinoargote, Ecuador's ambassador to the UN deplores the action being taken by trade unionists as misguided and 'against their own country'. However, he recognised the gravity of the problems in the banana sector. 'There are labour problems,' he said. 'But Ecuador isSa democracy and the legal framework is in place. According to Ecuadorian law, workers cannot legitimately occupy a plantation as they have at Los AlamosSThree unions there have been recognised but because Noboa does not want to negotiate with them, the issue has gone to arbitration. That will take time, but it does not give the workers the right to occupy the plantation.' Pinoargote reported that the violence of May 16 and continued intimidation are both being investigated at the highest level by labour minister Martin Insua. He also said that already some UK supermarkets are not taking Noboa's Bonita brand bananas as a direct result of the unionists' boycott action.

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