International Caravan to protect Colombian Trade Unionists

Here follows an open invitation to go to Colombia and see the situation for yourselves. It is called by the coke workers union and the CUT.

INTERNATIONAL CARAVAN TO SAVE THE LIVES
OF COLOMBIAN WORKERS

In this South American country, like no other in the world, trade union leaders are assassinated daily. In 2003, 78 comrades were killed in the streets of Colombia at the hands of paramilitary groups. Since the foundation of the Colombian Trade Union Federation "CUT", 3800 trade unionists have died in the same circumstances.

From this wave of terror have not been immune the workers of the multinationals, of public services, teachers and defenders of human rights, who consistently fought against privatizations and for the defense of the patrimony of the Colombian people.

All these crimes remain in total impunity, since the State has not had the political will to find those responsible, to judge them and thus mitigate the pain of the victims. The vast majority of the legal cases has been archived or remain in preliminary stages, without possibility of showing to the world the truth about the beneficiaries of these crimes against humanity.

The State, as always, has responded in a violent way to our demands for justice. Dozens of popular leaders are in Colombian jails accused of terrorism and rebellion; since penalization and criminalization of the social movement is part of its policy of democratic security as the strategy for the annihilation of the popular organizations.

This harsh reality has led several union and human rights organizations to appeal to the justice of other countries in order to obtain full reparations for their comrades, relatives and friends. The legal processes against Coca Cola, Drumont, British Petroleum Company -BP, reaffirm the impunity that exists in Colombia.

The international campaigns being waged against multinational corporations are very important. These have allowed us to show the world how companies like Nestlé, Coca Cola, Occidental Petroleum, Repsol, Frontino Gold Mines, Mineros of Antioquia, Corona Golfields, South American Gold Corporation, Normandy Mining, and BP, among others, have benefited from the criminal actions committed by paramilitary groups, that have led to practically annihilate the social organizations and the communities in the zones where these corporations operate.

These initiatives in favor of the lives of our men and women, for the defense of our organizations and communities, have contributed to the construction of new forms of global resistance in the search of another Colombia, of another world that is possible, where we could live with dignity.

But to conquer these dreams, we must continue existing, the Colombian State must guarantee our lives and the life of our organizations, these crimes should be clarified and those responsible for them punished and the pain of the victims mitigated. The union movement in Colombia has all the right to exist and contribute to the search of political solutions to the social conflict that the country suffers.

In order to continue living and constructing new dawns for our Colombia, it is necessary that the international union movement, human rights organizations, social organizations and democratic personalities visit the country and share with us this harsh reality.

THE INTERNATIONAL CARAVAN TO SAVE THE LIVES OF COLOMBIAN WORKERS is seeking urgently:

1. To uplift the morale of the union movement that is increasingly battered and in the process of being annihilated for the benefit of the state, the multinationals and the national monopolies.
2. The international solidarity that will strengthen the resistance initiatives launched from our communities. The interchange with the victims and the monitoring of the campaigns legitimize our struggles.
3. The international union movement to demand from the Colombian State clarification of the crimes committed against our unionists, because these affect them in the same way.
4. The contribution to the creation of a grand international event that puts before the eyes of the world the truth about the crimes against humanity that are destroying workers' organizations and their communities.
5. That they visit us and help us to continue existing and advancing in the search for the other possible Colombia.


This great initiative for life will take place from June 21 to the 25 of 2004 in several regions of Colombia. We invite you to share with us this great task on behalf of the life and dignity of our peoples.

National Union of Workers of the Food Industry "SINALTRAINAL"
COLOMBIAN TRADE UNION FEDERATION "CUT", Human Rights Department.
Social Observatory of transnational companies, megaprojects and human rights in Colombia
National Union Institute "INS"
Jose Alvear Restrepo Lawyers Collective "CAJAR"
Nacional Mining Co. Workers Union "SINTRAMINERCOL"

Information in: areainternacional@sinaltrainal.org


Colombia, February 11, 2004