FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 05, 2008
I visited the encampment that had returned to the park across the street for the Nicaraguan congress in late August and found that little of substances had changed. People were still camped in their squalor conditions and hope was fading for this hardy group of people.
Even though 6 of the group had won a $3,000,000.00 dollar judgment from Dole Fruit Company, Shell Oil Company, Dow Chemical and more, that case is now under appeal and each of the plaintiffs were given only $20.00 (twenty dollars) when they were returned to Nicaragua . One needs to keep in mind that these people have been black balled from almost any means of income that they are used to working at.
All of this group, close to 7,000 banana workers, are currently petitioning the Nicaraguan government to provide health care, limited food and testing of their blood, urine and sperm for evidence of damage from the insecticide Nemagon. The bases of the lawsuit they have already won (this is not the only one they have won) is that while it was known to cause grave disease and death and ruled illegal to use in the USA these USA companies continued to use it for many years after in Central America and other third world parts of the world.
It was announced to me that Victorino Espinales was no longer their spokesperson and currently Altagracia Del Socorro Solis Nagar is their President and Guilleuneo Armaudo Viva is their Vice President.
They maintain that to date 2508 banana workers have died due to the effects of Nemigon. Companies that they say are responsible are Shell Oil Company, Dole Fruit Company, Dow Chemical Company, Dow Agro Sciences, Del Monte Fruits, Occidental Chemical Company, Standard Fruit Company and Chiquita Brands International.
On September 29, 2008 I was able to contact Ms. Yvonne Dominguez with the law firm of Juan Dominquez and she confirmed that the lawsuit was indeed under appeal and that a new lawsuit with 10 new defendants was scheduled to go to court in May of 2009.
Contacts:
Press:
Alan Beim
HHS&B
Email Alanb@adsthatwork.com
650-359-5999
Banana Workers
Altagracia del Socorro Solis Nagar
011-505-438-3091