Guatemala union heads killed despite US trade deal

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N17372849.htm

(Corrects name of company in last two paragraphs from Del Monte Foods Co <DLM.N> to Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc <FDP.N>)

By Mica Rosenberg

MORALES, Guatemala, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Masked gunmen dumped a Guatemalan banana picker's bullet-ridden corpse yards from fields of fruit bound for the United States, a grim reminder of the risks of organizing labor in the Central American country.

Marco Tulio Ramirez, killed last month, was the fifth Guatemalan labor leader murdered this year.

Activists say the deaths show promises to protect labor rights under a U.S. trade pact have changed little at a time President George W. Bush is pressing for similar deals in other Latin American nations with bad labor records.

The Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA, was approved by the U.S. Congress in 2005 after a tough battle with Democrats who argued that worker safeguards in the agreement were too weak.

CAFTA breaks down tariff barriers between Central American countries and the United States. It has increased Guatemala's export revenues and improved the investment climate in the country, the government says.

Guatemala, which began implementing the pact last year, was notorious for labor abuses during its 36-year long civil war and rights are still weak.

FULL story at link.