NORTHAMPTON, MA -- On July 22, 2002 western Massachusetts labor leaders will be joined by local activists and a wide range of community organizations in a solidarity action to condemn the murder of Coca-Cola bottling plant trade unionists in Colombia. This action is in concert with a national action in Atlanta, Georgia organized by US labor leaders and SINALTRAINAL (Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Alimentacion), the union representing Coca-Cola workers in Colombia.
The Atlanta action will highlight the lawsuit filed in Florida courts by the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) on behalf of SINALTRAINAL. The suit alleges that management in Coca-Cola bottling plants in Colombia has used paramilitaries to crush unions with a campaign of threats, kidnapping and murder. The Teamsters, which represents 15,000 Coca-Cola workers in the US, is a key supporter of the suit. “Now more than ever Coke must take responsibility for the conditions under which its goods are produced, packaged and distributed,” Teamsters President James Hoffa remarks. “Coca-Cola must negotiate an enforceable global agreement to protect its workers rights and safety.”
According to the United Auto Workers (UAW), Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world to be a trade unionist. Since 1986, over 3,800 unionists have been assassinated and the numbers continue to climb. Most are killed by paramilitary groups associated with right-wing business interests, while some are victims of guerrilla violence. There has not been a single case in which those responsible for these murders have been tried or convicted.
AFL-CIO President John Sweeney comments, “Colombian trade unions have been the leading advocates for peace, human rights, and economic justice in a nation afflicted by internal violence and external economic pressure. And they have paid a heavy price for their advocacy. The AFL-CIO is committed to defending and supporting our Colombian sisters and brothers whose lives are repeatedly threatened because of their attempts to win basic fundamental human rights.”
Due to decades of violence, the number of union workers at Coca-Cola plants in Colombia has dropped to one third of what it was in 1993. Sixty percent of all unionist murdered in the world are murdered in Colombia, a country with a population of only 40 million. The CUT, Colombia’s leading trade union coalition, reports that 190 trade unionists were murdered in 2001, 51 were union leaders. As of July 2002, 105 documented murders have been reported.
The Northampton solidarity action is being organized by Solidaridad Colombia, a western Massachusetts grassroots organization dedicated to supporting peace efforts in Colombia.
Information: American Friends Service Committee 413-584-8975