RSF Vice President addresses SIPTU conference

national | worker & community struggles and protests | press release Sunday October 11, 2009 21:16 by Saoirse - Republican Sinn Fein saoirse at iol dot ie 223 Parnell St, Dublin 1 01 8729747

The Vice President of Republican Sinn Féin Des Dalton addressed the Centenary Biennial National Conference of Ireland’s largest trade union SIPTU on October 9 in Tralee Co Kerry. The subject of his address was the murder of trade union activists by the US-backed regime in Columbia

“Columbia’s history has been marked by two overriding factors: 1. Social and economic relations based on inequality, exploitation and exclusion. 2. State violence employed by those with economic power over working men and women and the poor to acquire and control resources.

“Columbia’s military policy is based on the so-called ‘National Security Doctrine’ which is geared not towards defence from an external enemy but against the people of Columbia.

“Today 60 percent of trade unionists murdered internationally are Columbian.

“The murder of trade unionists in Columbia is part of the worldwide war to impose the neo-liberal economic model. Whilst the extreme repression experience by the people of Columbia do not prevail here we should not fool ourselves we are not locked in the same war to protect and advance the rights of working men and women against the same forces.” Des Dalton said.

Earlier at the conference he met exiled Columbian trade union lawyer Miguel Puerto of the International Centre of Trade Union Rights.

Ends.