The International Centre for Trade Union Rights

COLOMBIA BULLETIN 26: 15 November 2004

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During past month ICTUR has received the following reports from Colombia, including serious violations of trade union rights:
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29 September: Ludivia Giraldo, the head of human rights for the national mine workers' union SINTRAMINERCOL was followed by four men in a taxi. In the past trade union activists and other human rights defenders have frequently been followed before attempts were made on their lives.

3 October: Pedro Jaime Mosquera Cosme the Vice-President of La Asociación Campesina de Arauca ACA, was found murdered with signs of torture in the region of Arauca. The agricultural workers' union FENSUAGRO, believes that the Colombian State is responsible for the murder.

6 October: Bertulfo Solarte Hidrovo a trade union leader in charge of human rights for the medical workers' union ANTHOC and Misión Médica was detained by members of the state intelligence agency.

8 October: Two active members of the Arauquita local general workers' Union - El Sindicato de Oficios Varios de Arauquita - Ever Osvaldo Galeano Lozada and Edwin Cazaran Tovar, were arrested whilst they were working on the local sewage system.

10 October: Francisco Ramírez Cuallar, the president of the national mine workers' trade union SINTRAMINERCOL escaped an attempted assassination. He left his home in Bogotá at 1.30pm and noticed two men on a motorcycle. The men were looking directly at him and the passenger was carrying a gun. Ramírez Cuallar took cover and the vehicle, which was holding up traffic, was forced to move on. A few days previously Ramírez Cuallar had reported that strangers were watching his home.

12 October: National Strike the three central Colombian workers' Unions participated in a massive demonstration during the national strike decreed by the trade union federations. More then a million people protested at the governments policies and called for a negotiated solution to Colombia's armed conflict.

19 October: ASOINCA a local teachers' union called on the government to adhere to collective agreements. It also pointed out that schemes of security offered to the union had not been forthcoming and that protection had been withdrawn from Fernando Vargas Navía, the president of ASOINCA.

21 October: Tania Valencia, a retired Local Government employee and former trade unionist was intercepted by armed men as she drove through Cali. Tania was taken to an unknown place where she was tortured and interrogated. During the interrogation she was asked about the work of the Public Sector Workers' Union - SINTRAEMCALI. She was also questioned about the Sintraemcali trade union leaders Carlos Marmolejo, Carlos Ocampo and the former trade union leader Alexander Lopez, who is currently a Local MP. The former trade unionist was set free outside the city.

25 October: The ex trade unionist and current Congress Member Alexander Lopez received an anonymous letter containing a sinister death threat. This is one of the many death threats received by the former trade unionist and by other members of the Public Sector Workers' trade union SINTRAEMCALI.

27 October: Eight multinational companies accepted an invitation from ICEM the global union federation for the energy, mining, chemical and processed industries sectors to enter into Social Dialogue. The multinationals who accpeted were: Endesa; Union Fenosa; Glencore; BHP Billiton; Anglo American; Linde AG; Reckitt Beckiser and Jefferson Smurfit Group.

28 October: Trade unionists were injured and arrested when the police violently disrupted a protest march by the Nariño teachers' union SIMANA. The SIMANA head office was damaged in a police search, which also prevented trade unionists from entering.

30 October: The University Workers' Trade Union SINTRAUNICOL received a signed letter from paramilitary groups containing death threats against various trade union leaders. Amongst the people it threatened were Antonio Flores, Milena Cobo, Ariel Diaz, Carlos Gonzalez, Eduardo Camacho y Alvaro Villamizar.

30 October and 1 November: Four international union representatives were expelled from Colombia by the government on October 30th and November 1st. The four, Victor Baez Mosqueira, General Secretary of the ICFTU regional organisation for the Americas ICFTU-ORIT, Antonio Rodriguez Fritz (International Transport Workers' Federation), Rodolfo Benitez (Union Network International) and Cameron Duncan (Public Services International) were due to attend an Americas region trade union coordination meeting. The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions understands that the government has drawn up a list of trade union representatives banned from entering the country.

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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 1 566 2071
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: 00 57 1 566 2386
E-mail: fsantos@presedencia.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 1 566 3234
E-mail: ministro@minjusticia.gov.co

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