Labor union launches indefinite natl port strike

Members of Costa Rica's Caribbean labor union have launched an indefinite strike on the country's ports, La Prensa reported. The strike began September 16, although the government is using private workers and facilities from Panama's government to keep the ports running. There have been no meetings between the government and Limon's workers federation, the group which organized the strike, due to lack of interest from the strikers, the paper added. The union members are demanding 3bn cordoba (US$7.6mn) payment to the economic port development of the Atlantic organization Japdeva, the granting of various collective conventions, the reinstallation of the national railway institute and the modernization of the Recope refinery, La Republica reported.