Legal Activists of Color: Fwd: [tupocc] NY Times editorial - Colombia - 4,000 labor union organizers, leaders, activists assassinated...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/12/opinion/12weds3.html?th&emc=th

The New York Times

Editorial

A Dangerous Job in Colombia

Published: July 12, 2006

With President Álvaro Uribe of Colombia at his side at the White House last month, President Bush promised action, soon, on a bilateral trade agreement. We strongly support free trade, but before an agreement can be completed, Americans need reassurance that Mr. Uribe's government will do more to protect workers' rights, instead of standing aside as union leaders are systematically killed.

In the last 20 years, according to a recent report by the Solidarity Center of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., some 4,000 labor union organizers, leaders and activists have been assassinated. Human rights groups use lower numbers, but still in the thousands - far more than anywhere else in the world. The government has investigated fewer than 400 cases, and has produced just five convictions.

Mr. Uribe's government asserts that the murders are simply part of a larger picture of decades of civil war and drug-trafficking. That ignores a clear pattern of threats, deaths and disappearances targeting vocal worker leaders - many of them teachers - often while they are organizing or negotiating with management. The number of murders decreased to 70 last year, according to a Colombian monitor; the government puts the number at 40. That may say more about intimidation that has stopped union activity or sent leaders into hiding than about government action.

Having just won a second term, Mr. Uribe is now in a position to do more about this problem. His conservative and law-and-order profile makes him a darling of Washington. Colombia's government has received extraordinary American support: $4 billion since 2000, mostly for military and counternarcotics use.

Colombia wants to further cement the special relationship with a free trade agreement. It can begin by treating workers' rights as human rights.

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http://www.laborrights.org/press/union072601.htm (2001)

BOGOTÁ, Colombia, July 24 -- An American labor-rights group and the United Steelworkers union have filed a suit in the United States that accuses Coca-Cola and some bottlers here of using a right-wing paramilitary group to intimidate and, in some cases, assassinate labor organizers. Coca-Cola adamantly rejected the accusations on Monday.

also see - http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2001/474/474p25.htm (2001)

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links - http://www.killercoke.org/links.htm

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http://www.solidaritycenter.org/files/ColombiaFinal.pdf

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http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0619-06.htm

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http://www.labour.ie/youth/news/index/20060707155652.html

Coke boycott spreads to German universities

Issued : Friday 7 July, 2006

The coke boycott which was called by Colombian Coke workers has now spread to Germany. The first college in the world to start the boycott was UCD. A number of Labour Youth activists and other left activists initiated the referendum in UCD.

Students at the University of Cologne (in the west of Germany)voted in favour of the boycott of all Coke products in all their restaurants and cafeterias. The Student Association accuse Coca-Cola of complicity in the violation of human rights in Colombia.According to organisers who belong to an evangelical Christian movement ESG, the students accuse Coca-Cola of using death squads to murder trade unionists in their plants.

The accusations are based on facts that have surfaced in this country over the last few years.The Students Association has also revealed that the Universities of Bonne and Wuppertal have also taken the decision to boycott Coke products on their campuses.

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also of interest -

International Action Needed for Colombian Miners

June 13th, 2006 - Two mining companies, U.S.-based Drummond Coal Company and Swiss-based Glencore International, are now the subject of strikes by aggrieved workers. Two mine union leaders were recently murdered by paramilitaries and more violence is feared. Please support the rights of Colombian Miners to organize for fair and humane conditions. Take action now....