As part of a six-member Solidarity Center delegation, Florida State AFL-CIO Vice President Mike Williams learned about Colombian workers’ constant struggle for social and economic justice—and why U.S workers need to hear their story.
Day 6—Things in Colombia that are not common in the United States: three people on a moped, toilets without a lid or seat—just the bowl—double yellow lines never having meaning, chicken feet as a soup ingredient, leaving your shoes on during the screening at the airport, no pepper, sausage and lime flavored potato chips, and bull-fighting rings.
We left our base of operations, Chiriguana, this morning at 6:45 a.m. A six-hour ride brought us to our new base, Barrancabermeja. Along the way we stopped in San Alberto, Santander, and met with members of Sintrainagro, a union that represents workers in the palm oil industry. Workers’ ability to collectively bargain has been decimated in the industry. There have been intimidations, threats, and violence in recent years as labor issues were addressed. The president of Sintrainagro was tortured and then killed for representing the workers.
Surprisingly, we were told that the threat of violence is not the main reason for the decline in worker representation. Co-operatives were said to be the real threat to union membership. Since Colombia’s labor reform laws and the growing use of co-operatives, union membership in the palm oil industry has been reduced from 90 percent of the workforce to 10 percent today. As I explained in previous logs, co-ops have “members” and not employees. Co-ops are contracted to do the work previously performed by company employees. Labor laws do not apply to “members” as they do to employees. The members of the co-ops are required to supply their own tools, safety equipment, transportation, social security payments, health care payments, and all other items necessary to work. These are generally purchased though the co-op and paid back with paycheck deductions. At times, a co-op member will miss work hours due to weather, sickness, or injury. When this occurs, it is not uncommon at the end of the pay period for the member to owe the co-op and receive no pocket wages after paycheck deductions. One worker decried, “For union workers, our government has abandoned us! We have no short-term hope in Colombia. Our only hope is international pressure from our labor brothers and sisters. Do not pass the Free Trade Agreement without guarantees of labor reform in Colombia!”
Later in the day we arrived in Barrancabermeja and had two meetings. The first was with the oil workers union leaders and about 40 community leaders. The oil workers union, USO, is one of the strongest in Colombia. It has an outreach program that educates community leaders on the advantages of a well-paid workforce. The program also coordinates labor activities within the communities to maximize a positive relationship. We heard from several community leaders who told us about the union's support for and interaction with the needs of the communities. USO believes that its survival is directly linked to the community. The ties are meaningful enough that the national government’s anti-union policies consistently attempt to break the strong bond that exists between the unions and the communities.
The next meeting we had was with human rights activists and the leadership of unions representing workers in various industries including oil, fertilizer, health care, education, and small farms. We were given example after example of failed labor policies in Colombia. Stories were told of violence, murders, arrests, co-ops, prevention of peaceful protests, reduced pensions, increased retirement age, complete disregard of collectively bargained agreements, and much more. We spent time with the recent past president of USO. An attempt to assassinate him was made just three months ago. All USO leaders have 24-hour armed bodyguards. In fact, one bodyguard has been on loan to our delegation since before our arrival. The paramilitary and the parapolitics [the government's alleged ties to the paramilitary] of Colombia are a daily fact of life that has to be considered in every activity.
Click on the links below to read the rest of the daily logs:
Day 1, July 20: The Journey Begins
Day 2, July 21: We Meet True Worker and Human Rights Champions
Day 3, July 22: Colombian Miners: “We Are Treated Like Pieces of Coal”
Day 4, July 23: “What Can We Do that Has Some Meaning?”
Day 5, July 24: Meeting the “Forgotten” Workers
Day 7, July 26: Worker Solidarity: “Do Not Forget Juan’s Face!”
Day 8, July 27: “The Most Beautiful Place in the World”
Day 9, July 28: An Informative Political Briefing
Day 10, July 29: “The Circle of Death” and Other Issues
Day 11, July 30: A Not-So-Sweet Homecoming
