INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-COSTA RICA:

SOLIDARITY WITH DEL MONTE WORKERS:

The following appeal is from the online labour solidarity site Labour Start.

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Costa Rica: Solidarity with plantation workers:

"Health and wellbeing are for us a priority," proclaims Del Monte, one of the largest fruit producers in the world. Maybe, but this generous "priority" does not extend to the workers at Piňales de Santa Clara SA, a Costa Rican company which provides Del Monte with pineapple. Since March 2008, the trade unionists of the SITAGAH union are constantly harassed. Many of them have been laid off, including employees simply suspected of sympathy towards the union. The workers are standing up for their rights. The SITAGAH and the NGO Peuples Solidaires are calling on unionists throughout the world to show their solidarity with the plantation workers by putting pressure on Del Monte and its supplier.

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THE LETTER:

Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to Del Monte and its suppliers.

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I've learned from Peoples Solidarity (France) about the situation at Pinales de Santa Clara, a supplier of Del Monte. I am outraged by the harassment of SITAGAH union members by various means, including the worsening of working conditions and salary, and the firing of many of them in 2008 and in January 2009. I appeal to you to: Immediately stop these anti-union actions; Reinstate the dismissed workers with all of their rights; Begin a dialogue with SITAGAH for the respect of labor rights and the improvement of working conditions.

LATEST ON RECALLED PET FOODS:

Since she last posted Molly has learned a little bit more about the situation about recalled pet foods. first of all the Pet Connection site, a good resource for breaking news now has 2,900 suspicious deaths listed. The most recent news is that the American FDA has issued a "detention without examination" order of wheat gluten from the Chinese company Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. Ltd. . A spokesman for the Chinese company, based in Peixian, China, Mao Liju, has denied his company's responsibility but says that they "are investigating" the possibility of contamination of their product by melamine. Deny first, investigate later- Molly. Ellen Morrison of the FDA stated that all samples of wheat gluten from this supplier have tested positive for melamine.

It should also be noted that spokesmen for the Del Monte Company who have withdrawn some products voluntarily say that the wheat gluten was supplied as a "food grade" additive, grade that is considered fit for human consumption. This increases the possibility that some of this product has entered the human food chain.

Finally, the Petsit USA site has provided a list of pet foods that are not on the recall list. Concerned owners are urged to consult this site and other sites previously mentioned on this blog to determine that NEW items haven't been listed by companies other than Menu Foods.

Molly

UPDATE ON RECALLED PET FOODS:

Since Molly last wrote on this subject there have been further developments in the pet food recall case. The first is that some other companies not on the Menu Foods list have begun to voluntarily withdraw some of their products. These include Purina products such as Alpo Prime Cuts and the Del Monte line of pet treats and foods including Jerky Treats, Gravy Train Beef Sticks, Pounce Meaty Morsels, Dollar General and Happy Tails. Stay tuned to the above corporate websites for any future recalls. Another useful site is the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association page that has a continuing update on recalled foods.

Also, the last time Molly visited the Pet Connection site (about 6:00 pm on April 1) they had 2,800 reports of suspicious deaths reported to them. The Oregon VMA had a listing of 32 deaths in that state reported by Oregon veterinarians.

More later.

Molly