On Tuesday, March 4, workers from Puerto Cortés in Honduras who are union members belonging to the “Sindicato Gremial de Trabajadores del Muelle” (SGTM), established a picket line in front of ICTSI’s Oregon’s operation at Terminal 6 in Portland.
SGTM workers held picket signs that read, “S.G.T.M. LOCKED OUT ICTSI” and stated that they are facing murder, military repression, death threats, and anti-union attacks. ILWU workers honored the picket line in accordance with their collective bargaining agreement.
Philippines-based ICTSI is a global terminal operator that began its first U.S. venture in 2010 by leasing Terminal 6 from the Port of Portland. ICTSI is the parent company for ICTSI Oregon and Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana (OPC) in Honduras. On February 1, 2013, ICTSI was awarded a concession agreement in Puerto Cortés for 29 years. ICTSI then established OPC, which imposed a sham labor agreement that was approved by the Honduran Government and ICTSI – but never voted on or approved by a majority of port workers. ICTSI/OPC began hiring workers under the sham labor agreement in December 2013 and, over the course of the next couple months, the company fired large numbers of union supporters. This mass firing of union supporters sparked a protest on February 26, 2014. The Honduran military responded to the protest by invading the port and arresting approximately 129 workers, charging many with “terrorism” and “damaging the national economy.” Dockerworker union leader Victor Crespo had to flee the country after his family members were attacked, killing his father and injuring his mother.