Although in court the strike was declared illegal, the government compromised on not discounting from wages for the days not worked by the strikers in return for lifting of the strike.
After managing to avoid wage deductions for having been absent from their duties for 15 days, the Workers Syndicate of Japdeva (Sintrajap) agreed to suspend the strike and resume duties as normal today at the ports of Limon and Moin.
Union members went on strike indefinitely in the port terminals of Moin and Limon, through which pass 80% of international trade by the country and the region.
Business leaders from various productive sectors reported losses caused by the strike, while managers of port administration are looking for alternative labour in order to restart the loading and unloading.
A constitutional court has rejected appeals by port unionists and announced that the construction of the Container Terminal at Moin will begin in early 2015.
From a statement issued by APM Terminals:
San José, Costa Rica, October 9. The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Costa Rican Government and APM Termináis in an appeal filed by the port workers unión against the 33-year concession contract for the new Moin Container Terminal (TCM) in Limón on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.
Although the $55 million loan to build a port which will accommodate Postpanamax vessels has already been approved, there is still no environmental or financial guarantee to ensure that the resources will be directed towards it.
The problems with ports in Costa Rican could still get worse in the future with the delay of the expansion of the dock at Moin.
In Costa Rica extreme environmentalism and the interests of the port unions are crippling a proposed $1 billion logistics development which is vital for the country
For the second time this year an appeal has been filed to obstruct the development of the port terminal by APM Terminals. Now it is the Constitutional Court that is hosting yet another appeal against the construction of the access road to the project.
In Costa Rica a judicial ruling has lifted a restriction in order to advance the construction of port for container ships in Moin.
In February the Japdeva Workers Union (Sintrajap) filed a motion to prevent two km of road being built for the construction of the New Moin Mega Container port and in response to an appeal, the Administrative Court imposed as a precautionary measure suspension of the work.
Port workers hindered the use of private forklifts for unloading ships carrying fruit.
The measures taken by the Union of Workers of Japdeva (Sintrajap) could cause a boat being delayed by up to 32 hours in the port and overall operations to fall behind.
Nacion.com reports that "workers are complaining that there are more than 35 damaged trucks which are have been abandoned for over a year and there is no investment in new equipment." Currently there are only 15 pieces of equipment used for loading and unloading goods.
A legal action challenging the constitutionality of granting in concession of Moin Container Terminal argues that it should be approved by the Costa Rican Congress.
The Constitutional Court has dismissed the action against the General Law on Concession of Public Works and the contract for extending the design, construction and operation of the Moin Container Terminal (TCM by its initials in Spanish), presented by the Union of Workers at the Administrative Board for the Port and Economic Development of the Atlantic Coast (Sintrajap).
Government, bureaucracy and environmentalists remain entangled together, while, like an inevitable tragedy, the country's infrastructure continues to decline.
Jorge Woodbridge's article in Nacion.com is a warning cry over the very poor condition of Costa Rican infrastructure, demanding urgent action to lift what is a serious constraint to development.
The Costa Rican environmental authority has only 5 technicians to analyze the feasibility of billions of dollars worth of infrastructure projects.
Construction of the new container terminal at the Port of Moin can not begin because the environmental feasibility study has not been approved, because it has been delayed due to lack of staff in the Environmental Technical Secretariat (SETENA).
Despite the promise brought by the development of several projects in the next five years, in Costa Rica the province of Limon is not prepared for the challenges of such investments.
Starting with education and training of the workforce that will be required by the construction and operation of mega projects like the Moin Container Terminal (TCM by its initials in Spanish), there are a number of issues where the poorest province of Costa Rica has major deficiencies, but until now only a few advances have been made in the task of solving them.
The strike ended when the government agreed with the unions to finance finance the modernization of the docks.
Financing of $70 million is needed, of which the state will put up $40 million and Japdeva administrators the remaining $30 million.
With that amount, the docks of Limon and Moin would eventually be modernized and become competitive.
An article in Nacion.com reports that the rates charged on those ports will have to rise, quoting Carlos Ricardo Benavides, Minister of the Presidency who said: "Of course this will involve an adjustment in rates so that debt can be properly paid".
With the uncertainty created over the strike at the ports of Limon and Moin, exporters are starting to think about sending out their products via Panama or Caldera on the Pacific.
In light of the shutdown of the ports where 80% of national exports exit the country, the export sector is analyzing alternatives.
Abel Chavez, president of the National Chamber of Producers and Exporters of Pineapples (Canapep) noted that among the possibilities being studied are transporting products via the port of Caldera, Costa Rica's Pacific port or via Panamanian ones. These options represent a major increase in costs for the sector.
Police entered the ports of Moin and Limon, which had been paralyzed for two days because of a strike, reactivating the loading and unloading of goods.
On Tuesday 12 June, the Trade Unions of Japdeva began a strike at the ports of Limon and Moin, protesting against an award made by the Costa Rican government for the construction and operation of a dock for container ships to the Dutch firm APM Terminals.
The Workers Union comprising of Japdeva, Portuarios and Afines has gone on strike because of opposition to the construction of a private container terminal.
Staff members of the Union of Japdeva Port Associations (Sintrajap) are protesting against the concession to the Dutch firm APM Terminals to build a container terminal in Moin, an investment project costing $22 million approved by the Controller General of the Republic.