Testimony I

- Workers here are ill-treated, harassed. They often give you really heavy duty jobs and then say "You're no good for this job. You'd better get your crap together and get out of here". But it shouldn't be like that. If they know a worker can't do a job because it's meant for two people, why do they ask him? Well, it must be so you say 'I can't do it', and then they can shun you.

- The women complain of sexual harassment.

- Yes, by the bosses! They tell them that if they don't loosen up they'll fire them.

Testimony II

- We're still here, on strike, waiting to see what Mr Álvaro Noboa has to say. We know we're fighting for a fair cause, for a salary increase.

- Is what you earn not enough to live on?

- You must be kidding! It pays for half your food. You get paid on Friday and by Tuesday you've run out of money. It really isn't enough, and also they treat us however they want.

- And what are working conditions like?

- They're very hard. Sometimes you even have to work Sundays, and if you don't they fine you. That's the way it is, in this plantation they treat you worse than animals.

Testimony III

- I lived on the plantation and they kicked me out. Now I'm here with my fellow workers, in the struggle. I'm the mother and father of my children.

- How many children do you have?

- Seven kids.

- What's your wage?

- Thirty-nine dollars a week, working Monday to Sunday.

- Were you here when the hitmen came?

- Yes. They broke down the door, and if I hadn't run it would have fallen on top of me. Some 200 armed men came to the plantation. They fired at people and abused them, and also stole televisions, money, stereos. Instead of looking after us, the police were supporting the murderers.

Testimony IV

Bernabé Menéndes

- How were you injured?

- I was in the cabin when a shot came from over there, in the plantation. I was hit by pellets in my stomach. The doctor says I have a pellet in my liver.

- Has the company been in touch with you?

- No

- How many children do you have?

- Six

- How much do you earn on the plantation?

- Thirty-two, thirty-three dollars, working Monday to Saturday.

Testimony V

- It was 2.30 am, and my workmates and I were sleeping in the camp when we were forced, in our underwear, onto a closed truck and left on the highway. Just picture it, sixty to seventy workers piled on top of each other like sacks of potatoes. People were almost suffocating. I was in the middle of one of the trucks and I could hardly breathe. Imagine what it must have been like for those at the bottom! They beat everyone, including women, and it was really painful hearing the little kids cry.

- How much do you earn?

- Twenty-five dollars, working the whole week - Monday to Sunday.

- Is the food the company provides good?

- Horrible, man! And a dish costs US $1.90. One of the things we're asking for is better food.

- Are there any health posts?

- You must be joking! And there aren't doctors either. If you fall ill and you have to go see a doctor, they dock your pay for that day.

Written by:

Gerardo Iglesias

© Rel-UITA

 Photos: Luis Alejandro Pedraza , Gerardo Iglesias, © Rel-UITA