A 1996 ILO report found that the majority of workers had break times of less than 45 minutes per day. Overtime Mandatory unpaid overtime is common in many factories. Union activity Union organising is discouraged and repressed by company officials in cooperation with the Free Trade Zone commission and the national government. General conditions Pressure to meet excessively high daily production targets. Companies often fail to pay social security contributions.
Strict time limits on bathroom visits.
Other Issues Eighty percent of the workers in the Las Mercedes Free Trade Zone are women between the ages of 15 and 27. Verbal and physical abuse by company supervisors and officials is common. Sexual harassment of female employees has been reported. Many factories in the free trade zone have poor health and safety conditions. In 1997, a worker was fatally electrocuted as a result of faulty washer equipment.