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Union Leader's Family Attacked in ColombiaAct Now to Protest Violence against Union workers!Posted April 23, 2004 The leader of the Coca-Cola union SINALTRAINAL wrote an urgent communiqué on Wednesday, April 21st, reporting that the previous day, armed men entered the home of the brother-in-law of SINATRAINAL member, Efrain Guerrero. The men shot indiscriminately into the home, killing Efrain's brother- and sister-in-law and seriously injuring one of their three children present. This took place in Bucaramanga, the location of one of the Coca-Cola bottling plants. This is not the first time that the families of SINALTRAINAL workers have been targeted for violence. The organized workers are trying to save their jobs with Coca-Cola FEMSA, which illegally closed the bottling factories' production lines in September of 2003. On April 18th, the workers held assemblies which approved a petition to the Coca-Cola bottlers in Bucaramanga, Cucuta and Barrancabermeja. Also, the union members recently held a meeting with the Coca-Cola bottlers Vice President in which they voiced their concern about security problems. Furthermore, attorneys prosecuting the company in the U.S. had just announced the re-instatement of Coca-Cola as a defendant. Coca-Cola's recent history in the area is revealing: In September of 2003, Coca-Cola FEMSA, Coca-Cola's largest Colombian bottler, closed the production lines at 11 of their 16 bottling plants. (The Coca-Cola Company shares several board members with Coca-Cola FEMSA and owns 46.4 % of its voting stock.) Since then, they've pressured more than 500 workers into "voluntarily resigning" from their contracts in exchange for a lump-sum payment. Most of the union leaders have refused to resign and the company has now escalated the pressure against them. Furthermore, the Colombian government is doing little to support the unionized workers; on February 25, the Colombian Ministry of Social Protection (Labor) authorized Coca-Cola FEMSA's plans to dismiss 91 workers - 70 percent of whom are union leaders. This is an effort to essentially eliminate the union. Colombia also has the worse record for violence against union workers; 85% of all unionist killed in the world are Colombian. Campaign for Labor Rights supports the union's call for a thorough investigation of the deaths of Efrain Guerrero's family members. CLR also supports the proposal for Coca-Cola FEMSA to relocate the fired workers to other positions within the plants or to transfer them to other plants. This action is required by Articles 18 and 91 of the current collective bargaining agreements. Join SINALTRAINAL president Luis Javier Correa Suarez in saying "We
demand an end to the aggression against Sinaltrainal affiliates and
our families, and we demand that the authorities investigate and find
the material and intellectual authors of these crimes." His Excellency Alvaro Uribe Velez, Vice presidente Francisco Santos Defensor del Pueblo Ministro del Interior y Justicia With copies to: Le escribo acerca de la situación de los trabajadores sindicalizados en las embotelladoras de Coca-Cola FEMSA, los cuales han vivido represalias violentas a causa de sus esfuerzos sindicales. El 20 de abril, 2004, la familia del cuñado de un miembro de SINALTRAINAL, Efrain Guerrero, fue atacado por hombres armados; los hombres mataron a su cuñada y a su concuño y herieron gravemente uno de los tres hijos presentes. Debido a la alta incidencia de amenazas y violencia contra los miembros de SINALTRAINAL, se supone que este asalto tiene que ver con las actividades de SINALTRAINAL, el cual recién presionó a Coca-Cola FEMSA por el mantenimiento de los trabajos y la seguridad. Por lo tanto, suplico al gobierno colombiano que instigue una investigación para encontrar a los responsables materiales e intelectuales de estos crímenes. Asimismo, les exijo a que detengan la agresión contra los trabajadores de Coca-Cola afiliados con SINALTRAINAL. Atentamente, Dear [President, Vice-President, Advocate for the People, Minister]. I write to you out of concern for union workers in the bottling factories of Coca-Cola FEMSA, in Colombia. The members of the union SINALTRAINAL have been targeted for violence because of their union activities. On April 20th, 2004, armed men entered the home of the brother-in-law of SINALTRAINAL member Efrain Guerrero. They killed both the brother-in-law and his wife, and seriously injured one of the three children present. SINALTRAINAL is fighting the illegal closure of production lines at Coca-Cola FEMSA bottling factories, which resulted in a number of fired workers. The union members are also pressuring for better security and the re-hiring of those fired workers. Because of previous threats and violence against these unionists, it appears that this latest attack, on Efrain Guerrero's family members, is inspired by SINALTRAINAL's efforts. We urge the Colombian government to open a full investigation into the material and intellectual authors of these crimes. We also call for an end to the violence against SINALTRAINAL workers. Sincerely, |
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