The International Centre for Trade Union Rights
COLOMBIA BULLETIN: April - June 2006

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During the period between April to June 2006, ICTUR has received the following reports from Colombia, including serious violations of trade union rights:
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2 April: Daniel Cortez Cortez, a member of the electrical worker's union SINTRAELECOL was assassinated. This occurred when a person fired two shots into Daniel's face which were enough to end his life.

28 April: Luis Antonio Arismendi Pico, president of food market workers' union in the south of Bogota, Sindi Manuela Beltran (a CGT affiliated union) and his colleague Belquis Dayana Goyeneche Luna were disappeared in the city of Bogota.

29 April: Nelson Martinez, a member of the construction workers' union SINDICONS was assassinated in Arauquita, Department of Arauca.

29 April, members and leaders of the trade union of the multinational mining company Drummond were carrying out a peaceful meeting. A squadron from the national police began to insult them, hit them, take photos and filmed them. The trade unionists report that the police also made death threats against their members Alejandro Vergara, Ruben Morron, Luis Antonio Garzón and Raul Sosa Avellaneda.

1 May: After organising a protest march in the town of Loma-Cesar Raul Sosa Avellaneda, the president of the Chiriguaná section of the mine workers' union SINTRAMIENERGETICA, was followed by a number of suspicious men carrying guns in cars with tinted windows.

3 May: Several workers from the Colombian electrical company in Arauca were arrested and held in detention. Among them were: Rolando Contreras Garcia, Treasurer, Edgar Botero Cardenas, Press Officer, and Javier Ricardo Guedez, member, of the Arauca section of the electricity workers' union SINTRAELECOL.

6 May: Death threats were made towards a Mr. Rodolfo Vecino Acevedo, employee of the state oil company ECOPETROL and member of the National Executive Committee for the oil workers' union USO with responsibility for human rights. The union believes that there is a plan to assassinate him.

11 May: Miguel Angel Bobadilla, a member of the National Executive Committee of the agricultural workers' union FENSUAGRO had his house searched by police without lawful authority. He was detained with his partner Nieves Mayusa by the local police.

15 May: 16,000 banana workers, members of the agricultural workers' union SINTRAINAGRO, launched a strike to demand an increase in their wages and for improvements to their living standards. On 25 May the union successfully negotiated a new three-year collective agreement for their members.

22 May: More than 3,500 workers affiliated to the mine workers' union SINTRAMIENERGETICA, were on strike to demand a new collective agreement with the multinational mining company Drummond. On 28 June the union successfully negotiated a new three-year collective agreement for their members.

25 May: the Colombian Association of Professional Footballers, ACOLFUTPRO, presented a complaint to the Committee of Freedom Association of the ILO, because the employers of Colombian football have refused to negotiate with the union and have denied the exercise of freedom association of the members.

1 June: In the Conference Committee on the Application of Standards at the 95th Conference of the International Labour Organisation, the Colombian delegation succeeded in securing a historic tripartite agreement around a plan of action to promote and defend freedom of association in Colombia.

The main points of the agreement are as follows:
The Colombian government, together with the International Labour Office, is to set up a permanent ILO office in Colombia, which will be in charge of technical cooperation to promote decent work and the basic rights of workers and their representatives. This programme will be particularly concerned with protecting the lives of trade unionists, trade union freedom and freedom of association and expression, and collective bargaining, as well as free enterprise for employers.

As regards technical cooperation, the Colombian government is committed to working towards providing financial support so that the objectives stated can be attained, and will ask the ILO for its help in this matter.

The parties to the agreement agree to follow closely the results of the investigations to establish the facts and punish those responsible for crimes against the life and freedom of trade union leaders and workers.

7 June: a lecturer and seven students from the National University received death threats. The lecturer Hugo Hernando Vega and his family have had to leave the country and the seven students have had to change their course directors, out of fear of being assassinated.

11 June: members of the food workers' union SINALTRAINAL in a factory belonging to Nestlé Colombia launched a strike in defence of their labour rights and to support a collective agreement presented to the company. On 15 June the union successfully negotiated a new three-year collective agreement for their members.

11 June: Pedro Antonio Camargo a leader of the local farmworkers' union ADUC was detained by the guerrilla group FARC-EP in the municipality of Arauquita. He was released three days later.

13 June, hit men on a motorcycle attempted to assassinate Alvaro Mercado, leader of the miners' union SINTRAMIENERGETICA as he was entering his house in Valledupar.

13 June: A series of death threats were issued against students, professors and workers of the National University of Colombia and other universities. The threats were placed on the walls of the universities and were signed by paramilitary groups.

13 June: In the Centre for Social Studies at the National Colombian University, messages from paramilitary organisations circulated threatening anyone who took part in any 'terrorist activity'.

12 May: more than 38,000 court and judicial workers belonging to the judicial workers' union Asonal Judicial, launched a strike demanding compliance by the Government with the terms of the collective agreement. The government declared the strike illegal. On 4 June the strike ended and the union successfully negotiated a new three-year collective agreement for their members.

International Centre for Trade Union Rights,
177 Abbeville Road, London, SW4 9RL, UK
tel: +44 (0)20 7498 4700, fax: +44 (0)20 7498 0611,
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