Honduras - Police repression puts an end to strike at Chiquita Honduras

Employees of the US-based multinational Chiquita Honduras decided to launch strike action on 26 December 2017 in protest at the company’s failure to comply with the terms of the collective agreement. The strike lasted for 74 days, after which the company and the government forced the employees to return to work, without any response to their grievances. The repression began on 9 March 2018, when, at five in the morning, at least 300 police officers and military personnel stormed the banana plantations were the strike was being held, using violence against at least 400 workers gathered at the exit of the banana plantations in La Lima, next to the San José neighbourhood. Workers reported that the police used real ammunition and fired over a hundred tear gas grenades. They also denounced that several of the workers detained were tortured and some of their belongings were stolen. Other reprisals taken by Chiquita Honduras include the dismissal of 105 workers and the issue of 34 warrants for the arrest of the strike leaders.