United States labor leaders today expressed their continued strong opposition to the proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement during their meeting with President Alvaro Uribe. During their visit to Colombia, they met with Colombian labor leaders, International Labor Organization representatives in Colombia, elected leaders, and the government.  The delegation found that there is still a climate of fear in Colombia for trade unionists, that the government has systematically undermined union rights, and that there has been inadequate progress in addressing the murders of Colombian trade unionists, despite some new government initiatives. 

The delegation, comprised of AFL-CIO Executive Vice President-Emerita Linda Chavez-Thompson, Communication Workers of America President Larry Cohen, and a United Steelworkers representative wrapped up a historic two-day fact finding trip on what’s being done to address the current situation for trade unionists in Colombia.

“The meeting with President Uribe was important to send a strong message of solidarity with the Colombian unions,” said AFL-CIO Executive Vice President-Emerita Linda Chavez-Thompson. “Our job here is to support them in their struggle to rebuild the union movement after decades of violence and the steady erosion of legal rights." 

At the meeting with President Uribe, the delegation conveyed what they had learned from Colombian labor leaders about the current conditions for workers in Colombia, including problems with registration of unions, abuse of cooperatives by employers, the illegal firing of labor leaders, and problems with workers’ right to strike. Both sides agreed on the need for improved dialogue on the issues facing trade unionists and workers. The delegation pressed Uribe to do more to address impunity surrounding the murders of trade unionists, which still stands at over 97 percent, and to proceed rapidly with needed labor law reforms.  They relayed the Colombian worker representatives’ emphatic plea for the U.S. to reject an FTA until workers’ rights in Colombia are protected and Colombian workers can once again exercise their right to bargain collectively for a better life.  Only about 1% of Colombian workers have union contracts, putting their right to bargain collectively below even that in the United States.  “It is the lowest rate in the hemisphere, and among the worst in the world,” according to Larry Cohen.

“Despite the Colombian and United States governments’ assertions to the contrary, there has been too little real progress in ending the brutality that trade unionists face in Colombia,” said Linda Chavez-Thompson. “In 2008 alone, five trade unionists have been murdered – almost one per week.” 

On Tuesday, the delegation met with the leaders of the four major Colombian labor federations, including the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT), the Confederación General de Trabajadores (CGT), the Confederación de Trabajadores de Colombia (CTC), and the CPC, the federation representing retired workers, in a round table exchange about the rights of trade unionists in Colombia and the United States.  The union leaders and members represent many sectors, including banking, oil, education, health care, flowers, and prison workers.

The Colombian union leaders detailed their opposition to the FTA and the continued dangers and the government’s assaults on union rights.  “They are killing the unions, not just the union leaders,” said Larry Cohen in response to the many stories from the Colombian union leaders and activists about the systematic weakening of labor laws, the failure to enforce labor laws, and the hostile actions of anti-union employers.  These four labor federations collectively represent over 700,000 active Colombian workers – more than 85 percent of unionized workers in Colombia, as well as 9 million retirees.

In an act of solidarity with Colombian workers, the delegation participated in a memorial ceremony and vigil for murdered trade unionists organized by the Colombian labor unions. They also met with the Mayor of Bogotá to speak of labor rights on the regional level and the current debate over the FTA in the United States.

Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists, according to Escuela Nacional Sindical (ENS), a highly regarded labor institute based in Medellin, Colombia. Two thousand, two hundred and sixty two union officers and rank-and-file members have been brutally and systematically murdered since 1991. More than 400 trade unionists have been murdered since President Uribe took office in 2002, including forty in 2007 for exercising their fundamental right to form unions for a better life. In those cases where the perpetrator is known, government-supported paramilitary organizations or the armed forces or police are most often responsible. Colombia has repeatedly failed to bring its labor laws and practices into compliance with international standards.