Two Reasons to Think Twice about Nestle:

Not only has Nestle been long criticized for employing child labor in their cocoa production, two Nestle unionists were murdered in the last month for defending their rights as workers.

DEMAND JUSTICE FOR NESTLE WORKERS! BUY FAIR TRADE CHOCOLATE!

[Information for this alert comes from Bagong Alyansang Makabayan - USA (BAYAN-USA) and the International Labor Rights Fund]

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Please find below:

*Report on the murder of Nestle Union leader Diosdado Fortuna
*ACTION
*Fair Trade Chocolate Campaign

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Report on the murder of Nestle Union leader Diosdado Fortuna:

The brutal killing of Nestle Union leader Diosdado "Ka Fort" Fortuna on Sept. 22, 2005, is the latest link in the chain of politically-motivated killings that have sprung in tandem with the undeclared martial law in the Philippines. It is also the latest blow delivered by the infamous Swiss-owned Nestle Corporation, notorious for the consistent and international exploitation and repression of its own workers. Combined, the oppression of the multinational corporation and the state forces has unleashed the bloodshed of Filipino workers who are currently enduring a 3+year strike in the Nestle Plant in Cabuyao, Laguna, Philippines. For background information on the strike go to:

A day after the 33rd anniversary of the declaration of martial law in the Philippines. Diosdado Fortuna, chairperson of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) regional chapter of the Pagkakaisa ng mga Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan (PAMANTIK-KMU) or the Solidarity of Workers in Southern Tagalog, was killed by unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen on his way home. Fortuna was shot near Sagara factory in Paciano, Calamba. He had just presided over an All-Leaders meeting of KMU federations and went directly to the Nestle picket line.

Two gunshot wounds in the chest felled Fortuna. Bystanders rushed him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival at the Calamba Provincial Hospital. The bullets entered his back and exited through his right chest, ripping his heart and injuring his liver and spleen. The killers made sure that Fortuna would not survive the attack.

Fortuna, fondly called "Ka Fort" by friends, is also the president of the Union of Filipino Employees Drug, Food & Allied Industries (UFE-DFA-KMU) in Cabuyao, Laguna.

"As a principled labor leader, Ka Fort manned the Nestle picket lines since their strike started in January 2002. He consistently advocated workers' rights and welfare by actively serving the union and progressive people's movement in Southern Tagalog, despite dangerous conditions and threats on his life. He braved and fought the government's militarization campaign and atrocities on the people's rights and livelihood," said KMU Chairperson Elmer Labog.

KMU believes that the killing is politically motivated. Fortuna has reportedly been on the hit list of the military due to his political activity. He has received death threats and was under constant surveillance and harassment by military and paid goons of Nestle since the Cabuyao plant went on strike on January 14, 2002 due to a deadlock over the collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The Nestle management refuses to include the retirement benefits of the workers in the CBA, despite an earlier ruling of the Supreme Court in favor of the workers.

KMU also noted that on the day Fortuna was killed, there was a heightened police and military presence in Laguna and several checkpoints were set up. Likewise, at the provincial rally on Sept. 21, an alarming number of military forces were deployed both inside and outside the perimeter of Nestle plant, carrying long firearms.

KMU said that Fortuna's killing could point directly to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), Philippine National Police, Regional Special Action Force (RSAF) and paid goons of multinational Nestle as suspects.

The death of martyrs such as Diosdado Fortuna and the bloodshed on the picket lines are not isolated incidents. It is an international epidemic. On Sept. 11, 2005, weeks before Ka Fort's murder, the lifeless body of Nestle employee and union leader Luciano Enrique Romero Molina was found bound and tortured in Las Palmas, La Nevada District, Colombia. . His body, which showed signs of at least 47 blows, was found in an area controlled by paramilitaries. See the Campaign for Labor Rights Urgent Action Alert.

In light of the escalating state terror and rampant trade union repression, we must continue our struggle for human rights, and especially for justice for those targeted for their activism, as well as the striking Filipino workers of Nestle-Cabuyao and all the victims of state-sponsored terror.

Visit the Bayan-USA website

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ACTION -- Support striking Nestle workers and victims of Human Rights violations by:

• Writing a letter demanding a thorough investigation of Ka Fort's murder and that the perpetrators be brought to justice
  
Writing to Nestle's CEO and President to demand they address the workers' concerns, specifically those of the workers at Nestle-Cabuyao


Sponsoring a video screening of "There Blood in Your Coffee" a documentary on the ongoing Nestle strike in Cabuyao, Laguna, Philippines (to purchase a copy, send an email to info@bayanusa.org)


Sending a Solidarity Message to the Nestle workers on strike in Cabuyao:


Luz Baculo
Secretary-General
PAMANTIK-KMU
c/o KMU International Dept.
kmuid@tri-isys.com

Click HERE for contact information and a sample letter.

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Fair Trade Chocolate Campaign:

Call Nestle USA and Demand Child-Labor-Free Fair Trade by October 31st!

Along with other major players in the chocolate industry, Nestle USA committed to ending child labor on cocoa farms by July 2005. But four years after the world first learned of child labor abuses on West African cocoa farms, little has been accomplished and the problem continues unabated.

Call Nestle USA at 1-800-225-5570 and demand they take responsibility for ending child slavery on their farms by using Fair Trade Certified cocoa.

Order your own "Fair Trade Trick or Treat" Kit!

Help spread the word about Fair Trade in your neighborhood and keep the pressure on big chocolate companies like Nestle USA by ordering our "Fair Trade Trick or Treat" Action Kit. The kit includes 36 individually wrapped pieces of Sweet Earth Organic Chocolate, each one prominently bearing the Fair Trade Certified label.

Also included you will find a spooky door sign proclaiming your home a Fair Trade Trick-or-Treat household, a pack of postcards to distribute along with each piece of candy and information on how your friends and neighbors can get involved. To order your complete "Fair Trade Trick or Treat" Action Kit, visit the Global Exchange Online Store.

Visit the International Labor Rights Fund for more information.

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