PSI blog on the Financial Crisis: Colombian trade unionists face threats on personal and economic fronts

During the third week of July 2010, I was part of a mission organised by “Justice for Colombia”, in a delegation that included representatives of British and American trade unions, members of the UK and the European Parliament. The aim of our trip was to investigate the present situation in Colombia, and to promote protection of trade union and human rights in that country.

We met with the newly elected President Juan Manuel Santos and vice president Angelino Garcon who will take office on 7 August. We had meetings with Colombian trade unions, members of the Colombian Congress and representatives of organisations of victims of violence. We had a meeting with the Attorney General regarding the many cases of impunity, but also concerning the graves in Macarena. We visited Macarena and were part of a public hearing on human rights violations. The hearing was attended by some 1000 peasants and small farmers who testified how their loved ones disappeared and later were found killed – civilian victims of the army and the paramilitaries. The graves in Macarena contain an estimated 450 to 2000 unidentified bodies.

Our delegation also visited political prisoners in two of Bogota’s prisons. We also met with four mothers in Soacha who sons were victims of the so-called false positives scandal, where young men were trapped in what they thought would be an attractive job offer but ended up being killed and dressed in guerrilla uniforms.

This visit came at a timely moment. Leaders of a number of PSI affiliates in Colombia have been receiving death threats from the paramilitary organisation “Las Águilas Negras” (Black Eagles). I met with these affiliates to determine how PSI can most effectively work with them to address these rights violations. I also delivered a letter to the current President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, requesting that the state take special measures to fully guarantee the protection of the lives of the trade union leaders under threat, and to protect trade union freedom of organisation.

It is important to question the economic and political motives behind these threats. We had a special meeting with senators and NGO’s on the trade agreements between Columbia and EU and United States.

PSI affiliates in Colombia are battling intensified plans to privatise public services such as water delivery. One of our affiliates SINTRACUAVALLE is raising the alarm about the planned privatisation of the commercial sector of the public water company ACUAVALLE. The splitting of ACUAVALLE’s components into public and private entities will most likely result in higher costs to consumers - as has happened in other areas of Colombia following water privatisation. PSI has issued an urgent action and we are asking affiliates to send a letter of support for our members in ACUAVALLE. Outside pressure and attention may help our unions in Colombia. The model letter in Spanish can be accessed here.