Protest letter to Guatemalan Ambassador

H.E. Mr Edmundo Urrutia
Embassy of Guatemala
13 Fawcett Street
London
SW10 9HN

Dear Ambassador

Assassination of Trade Union leader Victor Galvez

On behalf the TUC, British workers and the 6.2 million members in our affiliated unions I write to deplore the latest killing of a trade unionist in your country.

Sr. Victor Galvez was shot repeatedly by an unknown assailant as he left work on 25 October. He was both a trade union and community leader and had been at the forefront of the campaign to defend public services and natural resources led by the Guatemalan labour, indigenous and campesino movement, MSICG.

He had also been leading a campaign against consumer abuse by DEOCSA and DEORSA, subsidiaries of the Spanish MNE Union Fenosa. In June of this year he had received death threats and been badly beaten whilst demonstrating outside the national electricity institute, INDE.

We ask you to convey to the government of President Colom our deep concerns about the situation facing trade unionists in Guatemala today and our call for urgent measures to be taken at all levels to find and hold to account Sr. Galvez's murderers and those of the many other trade unionists killed in recent years. Over a year and a half ago at a conference on impunity in Guatemala organised by the International Trade Union Confederation the president gave firm commitments to end the culture of impunity and enforce the rule of law, sadly we are still waiting to see these acted on.

Yours sincerely

BRENDAN BARBER

General Secretary