The International Centre for Trade Union Rights

COLOMBIA BULLETIN 16: 28 October 2003

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During the past two weeks ICTUR has received the following reports from Colombia, including serious violations of trade union rights:
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27 September: Noemi Quinayas and Maria Hermencia Samboni, member activists of the hospital workers’ union ANTHOC in the Department of Cauca, were arrested and have been held in detention without charge. This year many hospital workers have suffered assassination, kidnap or arbitrary arrest.

29 September: David Vergara and Seth Cure, officials of the mine workers’ union, SINTRAMIENERGETICA, disappeared leaving behind their abandoned vehicles en route to a meeting to discuss upcoming labour negotiations with the Drummond company in Guajira Department. The union believes that they are alive and in the custody of armed groups. The Drummond mine is at the centre of one of the US-based Alien Tort Act Claims which alleges ‘complicity’ on the part of the mining multinational in the events leading to the brutal murder of two trade union officials in March 2001. (See also the follow-up report of 17 October - below)

30 September: Bessy Pertuz, Vice-President of the university workers’ union, SINTRAUNICOL, was kidnapped by two men who forced their way into her taxi as was leaving the trade union offices. The men quizzed her about her family and trade union activities and refused to allow the taxi to stop for two hours. The men eventually left her in a suburb far from her home in Bogota, taking with them her mobile phone and computer disks containing trade union information.

30 September: Carlos Hernandez, a member of the oil workers’ union, USO, took his own life because of anxiety and depression after being forced to participate in the ‘re-education’ programme that the employer, ECOPETROL, has been forcing USO members to attend since June 2002.

1 October: Luis Sanchez, a member of the oil workers’ union, USO was hospitalised suffering from cardiac problems and stress after being forced to participate in the ‘re-education’ programme that the employer, ECOPETROL, has been forcing USO members to attend since June 2002. The programme is understood to address ‘psychological and moral problems’ that the trade unionists ‘suffer’ from. The programme also singles workers out for attention as ‘problem workers’.

11 October: Jose Onofre Esquivel Luna, Alfonso Espinoza, Rogelio Sanchez and Fredy Ocoro, members of the foodworkers’ union SINALTRAINAL in Barancabermeja, received death threats from paramilitary groups.

15 October: a leaflet was sent by fax to the offices of the transport workers’ union UNIMOTOR signed by the ‘urban cell of the Cacique Calarca block’ of the "Self-defence forces of Colombia’ (the AUC paramilitary organisation). The leaflet threatened an "annihilation campaign’ against the following UNIMOTOR leaders: Diego Maria Osorio, Bernardo Bernal Alvarez, Jose Vicente Villada, Antonia J Ramirez Arias, Jairo Rivera Garcia, Fernando Guapacha Arias, Jhon Jairo Loaiza Uribe and William Gaviria Ocampo of UNIMOTOR, and Gloria Ines Ramirez of the National Executive Committee of the CUT and the Permanent Committee for the Defence of Human Rights. The same threat was also made against the management committee of the Risaralda region of the CUT and against members of the Risaralda teachers unions.

17 October: the two kidnapped trade unionists from the Drummond mine (see 29 September - above), David Vergara and Seth Cure, were released.

23 October 2003: Ms Yorman Rodríguez was approached at a police checkpoint on the road between Tolú Viejo and Colosó where the officials in charge subjected her to a lengthy interrogation and, according to reports released by several respected human rights NGOs, attempted to sexually and physically assault her. The officials eventually released her, but only after they had confiscated the mobile phone belonging to her husband Ruddy Robles Rivero, a peasant farmers’ leader. The phone had been given to her husband by the Ministry of Internal Affairs programme for the protection of social leaders.

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ICTUR has written to the Colombian authorities to protest against the continuing violations of trade union rights. ICTUR calls for an end to the aggression and insists that the authorities implement and ensure full respect for the international legal standards that protect freedom of association.

For more information contact ICTUR: miguel@ictur.org

If you want to take action in support of these cases you can send letters of protest to the Colombian authorities at the following addresses:

President of the Republic of Colombia
Dr. Alvaro Uribe Velez
Palacio de Narino, Carrera 8 No.7-26 Santafe de Bogota, COLOMBIA
Fax: + 57 1 3375890 / 3420592
E-mail: auribe@presidencia.gov.co; rdh@presidencia.gov.co

Vicepresident of the Republic of Colombia
Francisco Santos - Consejeria Presidential de Derechos Humanos
Calle 7, No 6-54, Piso 3 Santafe de Bogota, COLOMBIA
Fax: 00 57 1 337 1351 E-mail: mdn@cable.net.co; infprotocol@mindefensa.gov.co; siden@mindefensa.gov.co

Minister of the Interior and Justice
Fernando Londono Hoyos Ministerio del Interior y Justicia
Palacio Echeverry, Carrera 8a, No.8-09, piso 2o., Santafe de Bogota, Colombia
Fax:00 57 1 286 8025 E-mail: mininterior@myrealbox.com

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Appeal
Over the last year the International Centre for Trade Union Rights has made work on Colombia a priority for its activities and has developed a defined programme of activities, led by respected Colombian lawyer Miguel Puerto who is employed by ICTUR in London. This work has involved publishing reports, organising meetings for Colombian trade unionists, liasing with other NGOs and generally raising the profile of the dreadful situation for trade union activists and leaders in Colombia.

ICTUR desperately needs additional financial resources if we are to continue our work on Colombia. ICTUR makes no qualms about its partizan support of labour rights and trade unionists and this can sometimes make it difficult to secure institutional funding. We are therefore reliant on organisations and individuals providing donations to support our work. As well as salary and travel costs, the project has publishing costs, and the costs of supporting Colombian trade unionists when they are in Europe. We need to raise £9,000 (approx. US $14,000) by the end of the year.

Please give generously. You can donate online or send a cheque (payable to 'IUR' to ICTUR's international office (the address is at the foot of this page).

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