The International Centre for Trade Union Rights

COLOMBIA BULLETIN 18: 28 January 2004

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During the past month ICTUR has received the following reports from Colombia, including serious violations of trade union rights:
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111 November: Zuly Codina Pérez, leader of the Magdelena branch of CGTD was murdered in the city of Santa Marta. The crime took place at 8:00 in the morning, when the leader left home to go to the Hospital Central de Santa Marta, where she worked as a nurse. Zuly (who also worked as a journalist) was intercepted by unknown individuals. The interceptors shot her in the head and killed her.

3 December: Jose De Jesús Rojas Castañeda, a member of the local teachers' trade union ASEM, was assassinated in Barrancabermeja, Department of Santander.

3 December: according to airline union SINTRAVA, the Colombian Labour Minister signed a resolution, permitting the AVIANCA company to dismiss 350 unionised workers. SINTRAVA believes that the company will then hire new, cheaper workers, and that such dismissals serve to weaken employment conditions and damage trade union organisation.

5 December: Noe Rojas, Executive Member of the farmworkers' union SINTRAGRITOL, received written death threats signed by paramilitary organisations.

9 December: a judge granted an application by the oilworkers' union USO thereby suspending the controversial 're-education programme' that the employer, state oil company ECOPETROL, has required several USO members to undertake. USO argued that the compulsory programme was incompatible with the requirement to respect labour rights and ILO Conventions.

9 December: Orlando Frías Parada, a leader of the tele-communication workers' union USCT, was murdered. At 3:00am unknown individuals forced their way into Brother Orlando Frías Parada's house and shot him three times, in front of his wife and children.

12 December: at 8:50pm two people riding a motorbike fired four shots in front of the Coca-Cola plant in Barrancabermeja. The local branch of foodworkers' union SINALTRAINAL describes this as an act of harrassment against workers, and in particular local leader Juan Carlos Galvis.

14 December: Severo Bastos, an Executive Member of the Arauca branch of the public sector union SINTRADIN, was assassinated in Villa del Rosario, Santander Department. The trade unionist was kidnapped from his house by unknown, armed assailants. Later the kidnappers telephoned to the unionist's wife, telling her to collect his body from outside the town.

During 2003, three other members of the same branch of SINTRADIN have also been assassinated, their names are: Rodrigo Gamboa, Jairo Vera Arias and Mario Sierra Anaya.

22 December: Jose Piñeros, Carmelo Piñeros, Alfonso Piñeros, Alberto Acosta, Argelio Contreras and Alfredo Oviedo, all members of the farmworkers' union SINDEAGRICULTORES, were arrested by members of the Colombian army in Corozal, Sucre Department.

During December: The Human Rights Commission of the trade union confederation CGTD denounced the violence faced by Colombian peasants. The community company Potosí, located in the municipality of Cajamarca, Department of Tolima, stated that an armed group forced several peasants to leave their houses. One of those leaders expelled and kidnapped was the former leader of the trade union of San Miguel de Perdomo, from the Potosí company, Marco Antonio Rodríguez.

13 January: A card offering condolences for the deaths of Gilberto Matrínez, Carmen Torres, Álvaro Márques, José Meriño and Angel Salas was delivered to the offices of the Atlántico branch of the health workers' union ANTHOC. Those named are all members of the Departmental or National Committees of the union. Cards of condolences are common methods of delivering death threats in Colombia. This card was signed with an apparent pseudonym to produce the letters AUC (the initials of the paramilitary organisation).

16 January: An email arrived at the offices of the CUT federation confirming that earlier death threats made against Riseralda trade unionists (see ICTUR Colombia bulletin 16) would be carried out despite the fact that many of those threatened have now left Colombia to seek refuge in Chile.

17 January: Ricardo Barragan, a well-known activist of the Cali public sector workers' union SINTRAEMCALI, was assassinated while travelling to play football with his work colleagues. The trade unionist was intercepted by two high velocity motorcycles and was shot five times in the head.

Ricardo was well known for his active involvement in offering technical support to the plan for the salvation of EMCALI, where he had contributed greatly in reducing operational costs, increasing revenues and improving the use of human resources. Furthermore, he was well known for his active participation in the SINTRAEMCALI anti-privatisation protests

20 January: the United States certified Colombia's compliance with the human rights conditions that are a precursor to the grant of US military aid. The certification releases US $34 million in aid to the Colombian armed forces.

Human rights organisations have voiced frustration at the certifications, arguing that they have compiled abundant evidence documenting human rights violations in Colombia, and have evidence of senior army officers having been implicated in human rights abuses. Human Rights Watch has described the certification as 'flawed'.

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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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