Murders of trade unionists go unpunished in Colombia
This from an Economic Snapshot from the Economic Policy Institute is by Tony Avirgan:Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists. Over the past 21 years, more than 2,534 unionists have been assassinated. (The Escuela Nacional Sindical has documented 2,534 assassinations but says there are surely more that have not been reported.)
President Alvaro Uribe was elected in 2002 and again in 2006 promising a crackdown on violence. His policies have resulted in a decrease in guerrilla violence, but there has been an increase in extrajudicial executions perpetrated by right-wing death squads and security forces (Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) news release, October 18, 2007). Assassinations of trade unionists have decreased, but so have prosecutions of the assassins. For the past two years, none of the killers of trade unionists has been brought to trial in Colombia.
Now, despite public outcry over these appalling human rights abuses and the firm opposition of U.S. and Colombian unions, the Bush administration is seeking to reward Uribe with a free-trade agreement.
Luciano Vasquez, Director General of the Escuela Nacional Sindical, will address these issues at a Global Policy Network forum on Wednesday, February 27th. Click here for further information and to RSVP.
See also several articles from Dollars & Sense about the dangers of organizing in the palm oil, cut flower, and bottled beverage industries in Colombia: Blood on the Palms, Oil-Palm Plantations on Afro-Colombian Lands, Stop Killer Coke!, Some Roses Don't Smell So Sweet, and "Organizing Rural Labor in Colombia" (D&S November/December 2006, available only in the print edition).
Labels: assassinations, Colombia, unions, Uribe, US-Colombian Free Trade Agreement
Some Roses Don't Smell So Sweet
Before you order those overpriced roses for your Valentine's Day sweetie, consider a few disturbing facts from our friends at US/LEAP:- Flower workers are primarily women who work long hours, especially before holidays like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, are paid poverty-level wages, and face hazardous working conditions
- Over 60% of flowers bought in the U.S. come from Colombia
- Nearly 100,000 flower workers are employed in Colombia, most of whom are women
- The largest grower and exporter of flowers from Colombia is Dole, which is also the largest exporter of flowers from Latin America to the U.S.
- Dole announced in October 2006 that it would close its largest plantation in Colombia following a two-year campaign by its workers to improve wages and working conditions and form a union.
OK, so what should you buy your loved ones? Fair Trade certified chocolate, of course. Some of our favorites include:
Equal Exchange
Art Bars
And if flowers are still the thing, you can now get them from Fair Trade certified sellers.
Labels: chocolate, Colombia, economic alternatives, fair trade, flowers, labor, US/LEAP, worker rights