support columbian workers fighting privatisation
Tom | 24.01.2002 13:53
A lobby supported by the TUC will be held outside the Colombian Embassy in Hans Crescent, SW1, from 4-6pm.
A lobby supported by the TUC will be held outside the Colombian Embassy in Hans Crescent, SW1, from 4-6pm.
The delegation and lobby, organised to support the public utilities workers' union in Cali, Colombia, will call on the Colombian authorities to seek a peaceful negotiated settlement to the current occupation of EMCALI head office. Sintraemcali workers want to halt the pressure to privatise the publicly owned utilities company.
John Monks said: "One hundred and sixty trade unionists were murdered by paramilitaries in Colombia last year, yet no-one has been brought to justice for those crimes. Meanwhile, the Colombian authorities are branding as criminals colleagues like Alex Lopez, who is doing his job as a trade union leader to represent his members and defend the services they provide.”
Sintraemcali workers have been occupying the EMCALI building since Christmas Day in protest against the dismissal of the company's General Manager, with whom the union and the Mayor of Cali had been jointly managing the company for nine months. The joint administration had rescued the company from serious difficulties brought about by earlier management corruption and continues, even during the occupation, to provide quality public services to the three million consumers in the Cali region.
Sintraemcali is calling for an end to the privatisation plans, maintenance of low prices for energy, water and telecommunications for the poor families of the region and for an investigation into earlier corruption in the company. Their leader, President Alexander Lopez, has survived three attempts on his life.
The 800 workers occupying the EMCALI building have received several death threats from paramilitary groups, tear gas has been used against workers bringing food to the occupation, and, on 10 January, a bomb exploded outside the house of the official responsible for the occupation's food supply. Six Sintraemcali members have been murdered in the last two years. Friday, the day of the TUC lobby, will see a city-wide strike in Cali in support of the Emcali workers.
For several years the TUC has worked with the Colombian Government and unions in the UN's International Labour Organisation to promote dialogue.
The delegation and lobby, organised to support the public utilities workers' union in Cali, Colombia, will call on the Colombian authorities to seek a peaceful negotiated settlement to the current occupation of EMCALI head office. Sintraemcali workers want to halt the pressure to privatise the publicly owned utilities company.
John Monks said: "One hundred and sixty trade unionists were murdered by paramilitaries in Colombia last year, yet no-one has been brought to justice for those crimes. Meanwhile, the Colombian authorities are branding as criminals colleagues like Alex Lopez, who is doing his job as a trade union leader to represent his members and defend the services they provide.”
Sintraemcali workers have been occupying the EMCALI building since Christmas Day in protest against the dismissal of the company's General Manager, with whom the union and the Mayor of Cali had been jointly managing the company for nine months. The joint administration had rescued the company from serious difficulties brought about by earlier management corruption and continues, even during the occupation, to provide quality public services to the three million consumers in the Cali region.
Sintraemcali is calling for an end to the privatisation plans, maintenance of low prices for energy, water and telecommunications for the poor families of the region and for an investigation into earlier corruption in the company. Their leader, President Alexander Lopez, has survived three attempts on his life.
The 800 workers occupying the EMCALI building have received several death threats from paramilitary groups, tear gas has been used against workers bringing food to the occupation, and, on 10 January, a bomb exploded outside the house of the official responsible for the occupation's food supply. Six Sintraemcali members have been murdered in the last two years. Friday, the day of the TUC lobby, will see a city-wide strike in Cali in support of the Emcali workers.
For several years the TUC has worked with the Colombian Government and unions in the UN's International Labour Organisation to promote dialogue.
Tom
Comments
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it's tomorrow
24.01.2002 14:09
Tom
TUC,TWATS,ANTI-WORKING CLASS COLLABORATERS
24.01.2002 23:39
@
hm?
25.01.2002 14:11
internationalist
No dickhead!
25.01.2002 14:53
Sports Fan.
oh I see
25.01.2002 17:10
Will you still support the lobby and the campaign though? Or will you be organising a parallel campaign for those who don't want to mix with the TUC? If so, fair play to you; please post up details.
By the way (and I honestly don't mean this sarcastically); are you aware that SINTRAEMCALI is a trade union?
internationalist
Support
25.01.2002 22:18
Sports Fan.
Unfortunately you do not see
25.01.2002 23:14
By highlighting the tuc you seem to believe this will give you/your post/your party some clout. It doesn't, it just shows up your political naievity. I was not attacking the Colombian people in my first post, as you well know,I was attacking the likes of you.
By supporting the tuc, whether critically or not, you are propping up a reformist organisation which is in place to soak up and dilute any genuine anger workers have. The trade union/ labour bureaucracy is a sham. Yet you continue to peddle this party line - it's very sad for you and your ilk, but laughable to the wider movement.*Bollocks* seems to sum up your party approach just right.
Sports fan - spot on mate!
@