The International Centre for Trade Union Rights ('ICTUR')
COLOMBIA BULLETIN: January 2008

To receive the ICTUR Colombia bulletin by email every three months please email us directly at miguel@ictur.org. Type the words 'subscribe - Colombia bulletin' in the subject box. To stop receiving the bulletin reply with the words 'unsubscribe - Colombia bulletin' in the subject box. More information (including a Spanish language edition of the bulletin) is available online at: www.ictur.org

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

During the period between October to December 2007, ICTUR received the following reports from Colombia, including serious violations of trade union rights: Two key cases from January 2008 are also included in this edition.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

16 October: The local headquarters of the public workers’ trade union ASTEMP - Department of Santander, received an envelope containing death threats against its members and specifically naming Martha Cecilia Diaz, the president of the union.

27 October: Eliberto Poveda, President of the Sumapaz section of the agricultural workers’ union FENSUAGRO, was taken into detention, illegally, by members of the Colombian army.

2 November: Leonidas Silva Castro, trade unionist and president of the local teachers’ trade union of the department of Norte de Santander, was assassinated in the town of Villacaro.

3 November: Jairo Giraldo Rey, local President of the agricultural and fruit workers’ union of the Grajales Enterprise Group SINALTRAIFRUT (an affiliate of the CGT federation), was assassinated in the city of Toro, Valle Region.

7 November: Mercedes Consuelo Restrepo Campo, a leader of the regional teachers’ union of Valle del Cauca SUTEV, was assassinated in the city of Cartago.

20 November: SINTRAINAGRO, the agricultural workers trade union, recently created a local branch in the town of La Ceja, Antioquia region, with workers from the flower industry that work for the company Bochica C.I. After taking care of all legal proceedings and after being legally recognised by the Ministry for Social Protection the approval was opposed and later revoked, in clear violation of the National Constitution, the law of Colombia, and the ILO conventions ratified by Colombia.

22 November: José Jesús Marín Vargas, a member of the foodworkers’ union SINALTRAINAL, was assassinated by strangers as he left work.

23 November: the Freedom Association Committee of the ILO visited Colombia. The delegation once again asked the Government of Colombia to take the necessary measures so that, in consultation with the trade union organisations, legislation should be modified in order to allow public administration employees to negotiate collectively in accordance with the agreements ratified by Colombia. Also the ILO requested that any reports of violent acts against trade unions or unionists must be taken seriously, as the country has continued to persecute trade unionists and Colombia remains the most dangerous place in the world to carry out trade union activity.

23 November: Maria del Socorro Pisso, secretary for the Cauca branch of the Fensuagro trade union, was stopped by two individuals who later identified themselves as members of the Administrative Department of Security (DAS). They showed her notes and pictures that proved they had been following her and her family.

16 December: local leaders of the foodworkers’ union SINALTRAINAL at the Bucaramanga Coca-cola bottling plant, Nelson Perez, Luís Eduardo García and Jose Domingo Flowers, all received death threats.

21 December: in the town of Los Santos in the Department of Santander, the mayor of the town was arrested on charges of corruption and paramilitary activity. This arrest occurred as a result of repeated complaints from the public workers’ union ASTDEMP. When he was arrested, the mayor made several death threats against the union.

28 December: former trade unionist Sigifredo Higuera Ramírez was assassinated. The foodworkers’ union SINALTRAINAL have accused – and named – a member of the Colombian Army, who they allege was responsible for the murder.

21 January: A member of the paramilitaries was found guilty of murdering Luciano Romero Molina, a member of the foodworkers’ union SINALTRAINAL. In an unprecedented decision, the court has also ordered a preliminary investigation into the events surrounding this case at the Cicolac-Nestle plant. The facts of the case are presented below:

Luciano Romero was a leader of the Cesar branch of SINALTRAINAL. On 28 February 2002, SINALTRAINAL had presented a series of demands for improved working conditions to the Nestlé-CICOLAC company. When these demands were not met, the trade union undertook strike action on 12 July 2002. Paramilitary death threats against SINALTRAINAL leaders increased after strike action was initiated. In October 2002, Luciano Romero and other colleagues were sacked from their jobs at the Nestlé-CICOLAC plant in Valledupar. Luciano Romero was threatened, by paramilitary groups, and forced to flee his home, and then the country, before returning to Colombia in April 2005. On 11 September 2005, Luciano Romero Molina’s body was found with his hands tied and more than 40 stab wounds. The body was found in the neighbourhood of Valledupar, north east Colombia, an area believed to be under the control of paramilitaries.

During the investigation into the murder, the Colombian security services DAS accused Luciano Romero Molina of belonging to a guerrilla group. The Judge’s decision clearly rejects the DAS’s accusation, finding that “ Luciano Romero Molina did not hold the status of combatant… he was a civilian, and his ideology was directed to the trade union struggle and the protection of human rights”.

28 January: Yebraín Suárez, a local leader of the prison officers’ union was assassinated at his home. Yebraín Suárez was shot in the doorway of his house by killers who were waiting for him on his return from work. The union is affiliated to the CGT Colombia.

A brief summary of violations against the trade union movement in Colombia in 2007:

The National trade union school ENS, has published a partial report of the violations committed against Colombian trade unionists during 2007, a short summary of these facts shows us the following:

At the beginning of December 2007, 384 human right violations against Colombian trade unionists have been recorded, a greater number than in 2006 which recorded 382. This shows that human right violations against Colombian trade unionists occur at least once every 24 hours.

The number of threats continues in 201 registered cases, 38 trade unionists have been assassinated, there have been 16 armed attacks, 14 illegal arrests and also violations of trial procedures. Eleven trade unionists ‘disappeared’ and 95 trade unionists were forced to move.

As in previous years, and from the very beginning, of the total violations registered against trade unionists, more than 80 percent have been directed towards members of the CUT federation, with 285 registered violations; followed in a distant second by CGT with 40 registered violations; and the CTC with one.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

ICTUR has written to the Colombian authorities to protest against the continuing violations of trade union rights. ICTUR insists that the authorities must 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 1 337 5890
E-mail: auribe@presidencia.gov.co

Vicepresident of the Republic of Colombia
Francisco Santos - Consejeria Presidential de Derechos Humanos
Carrera 8A No. 5-57, Santafe de Bogota, COLOMBIA
Fax: +57 1 334 4507 / 772 0130
E-mail: fsantos@presedencia.gov.co

Minister of the Interior and Justice
Carlos Holguin Sardi - Ministerio del Interior y Justicia
Palacio Echeverry, Carrera 8a, No.8-09, piso 2o., Santafe de Bogota, Colombia
Fax: +57 1 560 4630
E-mail: ministro@minjusticia.gov.co

Programa Presidencial de Derechos Humanos y de Derecho Internacional Humanitario.
Dr.  Carlos Franco
Calle 7 N° 5-54
TEL: (+571) 336.03.11
FAX: (+57 1)  337.46.67
E- mail: cefranco@presidencia.gov.co
E-mail: fibarra@presidencia.gov.co

Representante Permanente de la OIT en Colombia
Dr. Marcelo Castro Fox
Dirección: Av. 82. No. 12-18 Oficina: 504.
Teléfono: 623 75 86.
Bogotá D.C.
E-mail: castrofox@oit.org.pe

Procuraduría General de la Nación
Dr.  Edgardo José Maya Villazón
Carrera 5 No. 15-80
Santa Fe de Bogotá.
Fax: (+57 1)342.97.23
E-mail: reygon@procuraduria.gov.co; anticorrupcion@presidencia.gov.co

To receive the ICTUR Colombia urgent action bulletin by email regularly please enter your email address below and click 'submit', or email us directly on ictur@ictur.org.