Worker Mistreatment - Guatemala

International Observer Forced from Plantation at Gunpoint

At the BANDEGUA banana company, a U.S.-owned subsidiary of Del Monte, an October 13 attack on workers created an air of tension, which led to a visit by Witness for Peace volunteer and international oberserver, Catherine Raveczky. Around an hour into her visit, a BANDEGUA employee approached the group and said that the company did not want any foreigners talking to its workers. Raveczky and a number of workers complied and left to go to lunch. Shortly thereafter, four armed BANDEGUA security guards arrived and ordered the workers to remove Raveczky. The guards said they had been sent by BANDEGUA's Director of Labor Relations, Mr. López Ávila.

Please contact Mr. Mohammed Abu-Ghazeleh, CEO of Fresh Del Monte Produce.
Phone: (305) 520-8400
Fax: (305) 442-1059
Address: 800 Douglas Entrance, North Tower, 12th Floor, Coral Gables, FL 33134

Please join a chorus of voices, including AFL-CIO president John Sweeney, in calling on Mr. Mohammed to allow Del Monte's workers to unionize and to ensure worker safety.