Coca-Cola FEMSA (Coke's primary bottler in Latin America) just
announced plans to close nine bottling plants in Colombia - which
would leave 2,500 workers without a job. On September 9, Coca-Cola
FEMSA called the workers to meetings in Barrancabermeja, Cartagena,
Cúcuta, Duitama, Montería, Neiva, Pereira, Valledupar, and
Villavicencio. The managers announced their plan to close those
plants and pressured the workers to resign from their contracts in
exchange for a lump-sum payment - "voluntary retirement." The
workers were told that if they didn't "resign," they would be
dismissed. In Barrancabermeja the workers were given until 4 P.M.
that afternoon to resign, and the administration has shut down the
production line at the plant.
Coca-Cola FEMSA's efforts to force the workers to resign comes
just two weeks after paramilitary gunmen shot at the vehicle of
Juan Carlos Galvis - vice president of SINALTRAINAL (the Coke
workers' union) in Barrancabermeja. Juan Carlos' bodyguards
returned the fire and the gunmen fled away.
I spoke this morning with William Mendoza (president of
SINALTRAINAL in Barrancabermeja) and Edgar Paez (responsible for
international relations for SINALTRAINAL). William and the other
members of the union are refusing to resign, and he said that we
here in the U.S. represent their only hope. William and Edgar are
asking us to contact the Coca-Cola Company (the parent corporation
in Atlanta) and Coca-Cola FEMSA to prevent the closing of the
plants.
This alert includes contact information and a message for Lori
George Billingsley, Issues Director, Media Relations, for the Coca-
Cola Company; and contact information, a message in Spanish, and an
English translation, for Armando Gómez, Human Resources Manager,
Coca-Cola FEMSA.
On behalf of William, Juan Carlos, and the other members of
SINALTRAINAL, please take a few minutes now to send these messages.
In solidarity,
Scott Nicholson
Montana Human Rights Network
***********************************************************
Contact information and message for:
Lori George Billingsley
Issues Director, Media Relations
Coca-Cola Company
E-mail -
lbillingsley@na.ko.com
Fax - 404-598-5051
Dear Ms. Billingsley,
I'm writing to express my grave concern that Coke's bottler in
Colombia, Coca-Cola FEMSA, is planning to close nine bottling
plants which would leave 2,500 workers without a job. On September
9, Coca-Cola FEMSA called the workers to meetings in
Barrancabermeja, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Duitama, Montería, Neiva,
Pereira, Valledupar, and Villavicencio. The managers announced
their plan to close those plants and pressured the workers to
resign from their contracts in exchange for a lump-sum payment -
"voluntary retirement." The workers were told that if they
didn't "resign," they would be dismissed. In Barrancabermeja, the
workers were given until 4 P.M. that afternoon to "resign."
Coca-Cola FEMSA's efforts to force the workers to resign,
comes just two weeks after the attempted killing of Juan Carlos
Galvis - vice president of the SINALTRAINAL union in
Barrancabermeja. The right-wing paramilitaries have repeatedly
threatened Juan Carlos, and have said that unless he resigns his
job at the Coke bottling plant and leaves the union, he will be
killed. The managers of the Coke plants in Colombia maintain close
relations with the paramilitaries, and seven leaders of
SINALTRAINAL have been killed since 1990.
The Coca-Cola Company is responsible for the policies being
implemented by the bottlers in Colombia. I urge you to stop this
repression and mistreatment of the workers that produce your
products in Colombia. I'm asking you to immediately contact Coca-
Cola FEMSA and tell them to keep the plants operating and to end
the violence against the workers.
Sincerely,
***********************************************************
Contact information, message, and English translation for:
Armando Gómez
Human Resources Manager
Coca-Cola FEMSA
E-mail - agomari@femsa.com.mx
Estimado Sr. Gómez,
Me dirijo a usted para expresar mi grave preocupación por los
esfuerzos que Coca-Cola FEMSA está realizando para presionar a sus
trabajadores a renunciar de sus contratos en las embotelladoras en
Colombia. El 9 de septiembre, Coca-Cola FEMSA llamó a los
trabajadores a reuniones en Barrancabermeja, Cartagena, Cúcuta,
Duitama, Montería, Neiva, Pereira, Valledupar, y Villavicencio. En
esas reuniones anunció sus planes de cerrar estas plantas que
dejarían a 2,500 trabajadores sin empleo. Los gerentes presionaron
a los trabajadores a renunciar de sus contratos a cambio de una
indemnización económica. Decían a los trabajadores que si ellos no
renuncian, serán despedidos. En Barrancabermeja, dieron a los
trabajadores un plazo hasta las 4 de la tarde para "renunciar."
Esto ocurre apenas dos semanas después del atentado en contra
de la vida de Juan Carlos Galvis, vicepresidente del sindicato
SINALTRAINAL en Barrancabermeja. En varias ocasiones los
paramilitares han amenazado a Juan Carlos, y han dicho que si él no
renuncia de su puesto de trabajo en la embotelladora y sale del
sindicato, van a matarle. Los gerentes de las embotelladoras de
Coca-Cola en Colombia tienen relaciones estrechas con los
paramilitares, y siete de los líderes de SINALTRAINAL han sido
asesinados desde 1990.
Le estoy pidiendo a Coca-Cola FEMSA que mantenga abierta estas
embotelladoras, y que cese la represión y el maltrato de sus
trabajadores en Colombia. Voy a seguir muy de cerca esta situación.
En espera de su respuesta, me despido atentamente.
English translation:
Dear Mr. Gómez,
I'm writing to express my grave concern for the efforts that
Coca-Cola FEMSA is carrying out to pressure your workers to resign
their contracts in your bottling plants in Colombia. On September
9, Coca-Cola FEMSA called the workers to meetings in
Barrancabermeja, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Duitama, Montería, Neiva,
Pereira, Valledupar, and Villavicencio. During those meetings, it
announced plans to close those plants, which would leave 2,500
workers without a job. The managers pressured the workers to
resign from their contracts in exchange for a lump-sum payment.
They told the workers that if they didn't resign, they would be
dismissed. In Barrancabermeja, they gave the workers until 4 P.M.
to "resign."
This is happening just two weeks after the attempted killing
of Juan Carlos Galvis - vice president of the SINALTRAINAL union in
Barrancabermeja. On various occasions, the paramilitaries have
threatened Juan Carlos; and they have said that if he doesn't
resign his job at the bottling plant, and leave the union, they
will kill him. The managers of the Coca-Cola bottling plants in
Colombia have close relations with the paramilitaries, and seven
leaders of SINALTRAINAL have been killed since 1990.
I'm asking Coca-Cola FEMSA to keep these bottling plants open,
and to stop the repression and mistreatment of the workers in
Colombia. I will continue to follow this situation very closely.
I await your response.
Sincerely,
announced plans to close nine bottling plants in Colombia - which
would leave 2,500 workers without a job. On September 9, Coca-Cola
FEMSA called the workers to meetings in Barrancabermeja, Cartagena,
Cúcuta, Duitama, Montería, Neiva, Pereira, Valledupar, and
Villavicencio. The managers announced their plan to close those
plants and pressured the workers to resign from their contracts in
exchange for a lump-sum payment - "voluntary retirement." The
workers were told that if they didn't "resign," they would be
dismissed. In Barrancabermeja the workers were given until 4 P.M.
that afternoon to resign, and the administration has shut down the
production line at the plant.
Coca-Cola FEMSA's efforts to force the workers to resign comes
just two weeks after paramilitary gunmen shot at the vehicle of
Juan Carlos Galvis - vice president of SINALTRAINAL (the Coke
workers' union) in Barrancabermeja. Juan Carlos' bodyguards
returned the fire and the gunmen fled away.
I spoke this morning with William Mendoza (president of
SINALTRAINAL in Barrancabermeja) and Edgar Paez (responsible for
international relations for SINALTRAINAL). William and the other
members of the union are refusing to resign, and he said that we
here in the U.S. represent their only hope. William and Edgar are
asking us to contact the Coca-Cola Company (the parent corporation
in Atlanta) and Coca-Cola FEMSA to prevent the closing of the
plants.
This alert includes contact information and a message for Lori
George Billingsley, Issues Director, Media Relations, for the Coca-
Cola Company; and contact information, a message in Spanish, and an
English translation, for Armando Gómez, Human Resources Manager,
Coca-Cola FEMSA.
On behalf of William, Juan Carlos, and the other members of
SINALTRAINAL, please take a few minutes now to send these messages.
In solidarity,
Scott Nicholson
Montana Human Rights Network
***********************************************************
Contact information and message for:
Lori George Billingsley
Issues Director, Media Relations
Coca-Cola Company
E-mail -
lbillingsley@na.ko.com Fax - 404-598-5051
Dear Ms. Billingsley,
I'm writing to express my grave concern that Coke's bottler in
Colombia, Coca-Cola FEMSA, is planning to close nine bottling
plants which would leave 2,500 workers without a job. On September
9, Coca-Cola FEMSA called the workers to meetings in
Barrancabermeja, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Duitama, Montería, Neiva,
Pereira, Valledupar, and Villavicencio. The managers announced
their plan to close those plants and pressured the workers to
resign from their contracts in exchange for a lump-sum payment -
"voluntary retirement." The workers were told that if they
didn't "resign," they would be dismissed. In Barrancabermeja, the
workers were given until 4 P.M. that afternoon to "resign."
Coca-Cola FEMSA's efforts to force the workers to resign,
comes just two weeks after the attempted killing of Juan Carlos
Galvis - vice president of the SINALTRAINAL union in
Barrancabermeja. The right-wing paramilitaries have repeatedly
threatened Juan Carlos, and have said that unless he resigns his
job at the Coke bottling plant and leaves the union, he will be
killed. The managers of the Coke plants in Colombia maintain close
relations with the paramilitaries, and seven leaders of
SINALTRAINAL have been killed since 1990.
The Coca-Cola Company is responsible for the policies being
implemented by the bottlers in Colombia. I urge you to stop this
repression and mistreatment of the workers that produce your
products in Colombia. I'm asking you to immediately contact Coca-
Cola FEMSA and tell them to keep the plants operating and to end
the violence against the workers.
Sincerely,
***********************************************************
Contact information, message, and English translation for:
Armando Gómez
Human Resources Manager
Coca-Cola FEMSA
E-mail -
agomari@femsa.com.mx Estimado Sr. Gómez,
Me dirijo a usted para expresar mi grave preocupación por los
esfuerzos que Coca-Cola FEMSA está realizando para presionar a sus
trabajadores a renunciar de sus contratos en las embotelladoras en
Colombia. El 9 de septiembre, Coca-Cola FEMSA llamó a los
trabajadores a reuniones en Barrancabermeja, Cartagena, Cúcuta,
Duitama, Montería, Neiva, Pereira, Valledupar, y Villavicencio. En
esas reuniones anunció sus planes de cerrar estas plantas que
dejarían a 2,500 trabajadores sin empleo. Los gerentes presionaron
a los trabajadores a renunciar de sus contratos a cambio de una
indemnización económica. Decían a los trabajadores que si ellos no
renuncian, serán despedidos. En Barrancabermeja, dieron a los
trabajadores un plazo hasta las 4 de la tarde para "renunciar."
Esto ocurre apenas dos semanas después del atentado en contra
de la vida de Juan Carlos Galvis, vicepresidente del sindicato
SINALTRAINAL en Barrancabermeja. En varias ocasiones los
paramilitares han amenazado a Juan Carlos, y han dicho que si él no
renuncia de su puesto de trabajo en la embotelladora y sale del
sindicato, van a matarle. Los gerentes de las embotelladoras de
Coca-Cola en Colombia tienen relaciones estrechas con los
paramilitares, y siete de los líderes de SINALTRAINAL han sido
asesinados desde 1990.
Le estoy pidiendo a Coca-Cola FEMSA que mantenga abierta estas
embotelladoras, y que cese la represión y el maltrato de sus
trabajadores en Colombia. Voy a seguir muy de cerca esta situación.
En espera de su respuesta, me despido atentamente.
English translation:
Dear Mr. Gómez,
I'm writing to express my grave concern for the efforts that
Coca-Cola FEMSA is carrying out to pressure your workers to resign
their contracts in your bottling plants in Colombia. On September
9, Coca-Cola FEMSA called the workers to meetings in
Barrancabermeja, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Duitama, Montería, Neiva,
Pereira, Valledupar, and Villavicencio. During those meetings, it
announced plans to close those plants, which would leave 2,500
workers without a job. The managers pressured the workers to
resign from their contracts in exchange for a lump-sum payment.
They told the workers that if they didn't resign, they would be
dismissed. In Barrancabermeja, they gave the workers until 4 P.M.
to "resign."
This is happening just two weeks after the attempted killing
of Juan Carlos Galvis - vice president of the SINALTRAINAL union in
Barrancabermeja. On various occasions, the paramilitaries have
threatened Juan Carlos; and they have said that if he doesn't
resign his job at the bottling plant, and leave the union, they
will kill him. The managers of the Coca-Cola bottling plants in
Colombia have close relations with the paramilitaries, and seven
leaders of SINALTRAINAL have been killed since 1990.
I'm asking Coca-Cola FEMSA to keep these bottling plants open,
and to stop the repression and mistreatment of the workers in
Colombia. I will continue to follow this situation very closely.
I await your response.
Sincerely,
