Near month-long strikes by some 600 Del Monte employees working on plantations in Sixaolo, Costa Rica have come to an end after winning union recognition, according to reports in the country.

Del Monte management met with Union leaders to finalise an agreement that was brokered by Eugenio Solano, the government's deputy labour minister, bringing about an end to strikes in the southern province of Límon near the Panama border, Elpais.cr said.

Workers, many of them Guaymi Indians from Panama as well as Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans, had been protesting over basic pay and overtime as well as a more appropriate area to eat.

As part of the agreement, workers were awarded temporary loans of CRC80,000 (US$160), Elpais.cr noted.