Delegation travelling to Colombia to meet with Coca Cola workers

international | worker & community struggles and protests | news report Monday June 20, 2005 18:44 by Colombia Solidarity Network

Delegation will meet with trade unionists, students, youth and progressive and civic organisations

When: Departing on the 24th June 2005 – Returning on the 13th of July 2005

The delegation comprised of members of the Trade Union movement and student activists will travel to Colombia where they will be hosted by the Columbian Trade Union Sinaltrainal. This Trade Union has launched the international campaign to boycott all Coca Cola products due to the ongoing campaign by paramilitaries to crush trade unions within Coke bottling plants. Eight Coca Cola workers have been murdered in recent years due to their trade union activism

The delegation will be received by Sinaltrainal in the Capital city of Bogotá. Here the group will meet with representatives of Sinaltrainal and Sintramineralco (Miners Union) as well as an umbrella group on environmental and indigenous issues. The group will also meet with members of the Columbian Parliament and attend institutional meetings in the Region.

The Group will then travel to the city of Arauca. This is an oil rich area with a strong US army presence. A significant number of Trade Unionists have been murdered in this area. The delegation will meet with representatives of CUT (Congress of Trade Unions), The Oil workers Union, Human Rights Groups, Farmers Organisations and indigenous tribes.

The Group will also visit the cities of Baranca and Bucaramanga where we will meet with Women’s Groups and Human Rights Groups.

Trade Union activist and member of the delegation Kevin Keating said;
“ We are travelling to Colombia to express solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the trade union movement who face ongoing intimidation in their struggle to organise unions. In this day and age the right to join a union must be respected particularly by well known multinationals. In this regard we call upon Coca Cola to immediately meet the demands of their workers organised by SINALTRAINAL”

Student activist and member of the delegation David Geary said;
“If the Trade Union movement was not in a state of constant fear and besieged by a campaign of intimidation it could thrive and fight to develop workers rights. This trip will provide us with some very real insight into the effect such intimidation is having on the development of the Trade Unions. It will also provide an opportunity to highlight the allegations levied against some very high profile companies operating in the country.”

For further details please contact;

Kevin Keating 086 8150354
David Geary 085 703 7813