A sister's story: death threats and privatization in Colombia

Maria Fernanda Bolaños visits Daryl Walker and BCGEU trade unionists

Vancouver (11 Aug. 2008) - A young Colombian trade union leader whose life has been threatened by death squads shared her experiences firsthand with Darryl Walker, president of the British Columbia Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE), and other union activists at an Aug. 6 meeting in Burnaby.

Maria Fernanda Bolaños hails from Cali, Colombia's third largest city, where she works for a publicly-owned utility called EMSIRVA. It operates municipal garbage collection and street cleaning. A 34-year-old single mother, Bolaños is also a leader in the worker's union SINTRAEMSIRVA, which represents 500 EMSIRVA workers.

It's a battle against the privatization of the public company Bolaños works for that's resulted in death threats against her and the murder of a fellow leader.

The news, unfortunately, has been bleak since she left Colombia for Canada in mid-July. Despite a long union campaign to protect jobs and services, Colombia's national government recently announced that the most profitable parts of the garbage collection system would be given to three private companies.

In the context of the recently-signed free trade agreement between Colombia and Canada, Bolaños shed light on economic and political conditions in her country.

Multinationals

She says the aggressive pursuit of profits by multinational companies is the backdrop for disappearances, assassinations, and land clearances where people are forcibly removed from their rural homes and lands to ensure unimpeded access to valuable natural resources.

Despite the challenges and threats, Bolaños is driven by the need to right injustices in Colombia. "I've seen children dying of hunger and pregnant women dying giving birth because there are no health services," she says.

With armed right-wing paramilitary groups operating in concert with the government, "there's a lot of fear in my country," Bolaños adds, noting that government state security police "are the ones threatening my life, and the same ones we have to report those threats to."

She urged colleagues in the Canadian labour movement to speak out against the free trade deal with Colombia and against multinational companies who will benefit from the deal and privatization. And she encouraged Canadians to hold the Colombian government to account for its repressive actions.

Walker pledged BCGEU's continued support. "We would like to maintain a relationship with your union and the people of Colombia to try and make a better world for all of us," he said.

Bolaños has met with groups across the country in a tour organized by the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) and three other national unions. NUPGE