Rampant violence against workers in Colombia, says AFL-CIO

'Outrageous that Harper Conservatives would consider signing a free trade deal with such a country.' - James Clancy

Ottawa (20 Jan. 2008) - As the Harper government proceeds with negotiating a Canada-Colombia-Peru Free Trade Agreement, a new report from the United States indicates that little progress has been made in addressing human rights violations in the South American country.

The report produced by the AFL-CIO is called Workers' Rights, Violence and Impunity in Colombia. It presents a relatively complete picture of labour rights and labour relations in Colombia in 2007. Most of this information has been missing from that presented to the public by the Harper Conservatives in Canada and by the government of Colombia. Full Report

"While the number of deaths of trade unionists is declining the report clearly demonstrates that violence against Colombian workers is rampant and that the Uribe government is doing little to address the situation," says James Clancy, president of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE).

Among the key findings in the report is:

? 38 trade unionists were murdered in 2007. This is a decrease from the previous year but Colombia still ranks as the most dangerous country for trade unionists in the world. The Philippines had the next highest rate with 33 murdered trade unionists.

? 201 death threats were made against trade unionists in 2007. The combination of ongoing assassinations, death threats and violence against family members creates a climate of fear for trade unionists that makes it impossible for them to fully and confidently exercise their rights to organize, bargain collectively, go on strike or criticize the government.

? The Colombian government has established a special unit to investigate and prosecute crimes against unionists. However, the 'rate of impunity' for murdering trade unionists remains at more than 97%.

? The International Labour Organization (ILO) has reported that several of Colombia's labour laws violate international labour standards. Further, the ILO's Committee on Freedom of Association has routinely criticized the government for failing to enforce its own laws or international labour standards.

? In addition, El Tiempo, one of Colombia's leading daily newspapers, recently reported that all three special judges appointed to hear the cases related to crimes against trade unionists had been dismissed at the end of 2007.

World's most dangerous place

This report reinforces a 2006 report by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). In its annual survey of violations of trade union rights, the ITUC declared Colombia the most dangerous place in the world to be a union member. The killings for 2006 totalled 78. Of 1,165 documented murders of Colombian trade union members between 1994 and 2006, only 56 perpetrators have been brought to trial, and just 14 have been sentenced.

The decision for Canada to embark on free trade negotiations with Colombia came during a recent trip to South America by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The move came as a surprise given that the U.S. Congress is backing away from a similar agreement due to concerns over Colombia's human rights record.

Since then, President Bush, facing failure in many of his policy initiatives, has again tried to make a Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) a priority with Congress. To date his efforts have not persuaded the Democratic majority to support an FTA with Colombia.

"I have to wonder whether the Harper government has embarked on these negotiations as a way to assist the Bush government," says Clancy. "It is outrageous that this government would consider signing such a deal with a country that demonstrates such a disregard for workers rights."

U.S. legislators oppose deal with Colombia

Meanwhile, the Canadian Labour Congress has praised a group of U.S, legislators who have written to their counterparts in Ottawa to tell them that “no trade agreement with Colombia is acceptable at this time.”

“It is truly remarkable that Canadian and American working families and the U.S. Congress share the sense of outrage about entering into a trade deal with Colombia at this time,” says CLC president Ken Georgetti. “Our government should step away from a deal with a government that allows murders of trade unionists to go unpunished.”

The letter has been signed by seven members of the U.S. House of Representatives, – Michael H. Michaud (Maine), Betty Sutton (Ohio), Phil Hare (Illinois), Linda Sanchez (California), Nancy Boyda (Kansas), Marcy Kaptur (Ohio) and Keith Ellison (Minnesota). NUPGE

(Published as n20ja08a.htm)