Costa Rica Trade Unions

Costa Rican Employers Reject Unions

Costa Rican employers continued with their determination on Tuesday to veto the right of their employees to join a union, even in the face of possible Labor Code reforms.

Deputies in the Legislative Assembly are discussing changes to the legal regulations to allow a broadening of the prerogatives of citizens to form unions, both in private and public companies, so that this cannot be taken as a pretext for layoffs.

Representatives of the labor movement and legislators insist on considering changes under discussion as an obligation of Costa Rica before the International Labor Organization (ILO), which is a body that continues monitoring labor problems in this Central American nation.

However, many businesspeople believe the proposed changes would threaten the operation of their businesses in Costa Rica by placing alleged legal obstacles to layoff policies.

As champions of neoliberal practices, they maintain that in times of economic crisis these types of reforms might be counterproductive, even more so to entities with financial problems, which they argue need staff cuts.

In view of this reaction from businesspeople, General Secretary of the National Association of Public and Private Employees, Albino Vargas, considered that failing to approve the changes "would make a mockery of international labor regulations, including union freedom," amounting to a worsening of "the country's image with regard to labor issues."