Limón Strike Causes Cancellation of Cruise Ships
The continued disturbances in Limón have tourism authorities worried as the indefinite strike by the dock workers of Junta de Administración Portuaria y de Desarrollo Económico de la Vertiente Atlántica (JAPDEVA) continues, causing more cruise liners to detour Costa Rica.

Last night protests became violent as anti-riot police had to be called in to restore calm in several neighbourhoods of the port city. Not all the violence was by dock workers, police were confronted by a number of youths throwing rock sand setting fires on the streets, who had nothing to do with the labour dispute.

Walter Robinson, president of JAPDEVA, said yesterday that it was difficult to guarantee cruise ship operators the necessary conditions to dock at the port of Limón.

For now, the only definite cancellation os the "Carnival Victory" of Carnival Cruise Lines, carrying 3.000 passengers that was to have docked at Limón.

For the meantime, two cruise liners are expected, one Friday and another on Saturday. But after that, the cruise ship industry in Limón is in danger, as local merchants face huge financial losses.

Last night Robinson and Francisco Morales, Ministro de Trabajo (Labour Minister) met with JAPDEVA union leaders in an attempt to resolve the standoff. No news of the meeting has been made public as yet.

The financial loss to the area are calculated on the basis that each tourist spends and average of us$80 on purchases of artisan crafts, restaurants and day tours and trips.

Local merchants hoping to cash in on the cruise ship season will be left holding the bag as more and more cruise ships detour around Costa Rica.

"I ask the union leaders to sit down and negotiate before they harm more people that they represent. We could lose the entire season", Delroy Lewis, president of the Asociación de Transportistas Locales, to the daily Spanish newspaper La Nación.

Noel Ferguson, president of the Cámara de Comercio, Industria y Turismo de Limón (Limon chamber of commerce and tourism), emphasized that many families depend on the income of the cruise liners.

"We worry because this will go far. One cruise ship that does not dock can generate a cascading effect with other companies (cruise lines), what will come to see Limón as conflictive port", said Ferguson.

The JAPDEVA union - Sintrajap - is claiming the payment of ¢470 millin colones based on a collective agreement signed by the former administration and that the current government stop plans to privatize the Limón docks. The government has agreed to pay the workers but will not back down on the privatization.