“The 2011 Labor Action Plan (LAP) was agreed to by the U.S. and Colombian governments as a requirement for implementing the free trade agreement between the two countries. While the trade agreement has gone into effect, the LAP remains largely unfulfilled, leaving Colombian workers in danger and unprotected when they attempt to organize and act together to improve their conditions of work. We are calling on the U.S. government to tell Colombian Labor Minister, Luis Garzon that our government will not agree to end the LAP until workers are able to achieve concrete results and the terms of the agreement are fulfilled.
“Employers still avoid direct employment relationships and workers still face intimidation and violence when they exercise their internationally-recognized worker rights. The LAP was supposed to make real changes for working people—changes that would help them climb the economic ladder. Instead workers are wondering if the LAP was a cynical ploy to advance a free trade agreement and was never intended to improve their lives.
“To regain credibility on the world stage, to send a message that the workers who power our businesses large and small deserve more than lip service, the U.S. and Colombia must agree to continue work on the LAP until every last commitment has been fulfilled—not just on paper but in practice.”
Contact: Amaya Smith (202) 637-5018