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Trade union killings continue in Colombia

Issue date
Solidarity with Colombian trade unions

TUC protest letter

7 June 2010

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has written yet again to the Colombian Ambassador to protest about the murder of two Colombian trade unionists and threats against a third. The latest deaths were on top of twenty-five murders in the first four months of 2010: demonstrating that despite Colombian government claims, the murder rate is not falling.

The letter follows:

Ambassador Mauricio Rodríguez Múnera
Embassy of Colombia
3 Hans Crescent
London SW1X OLN

Dear Ambassador

On behalf of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) representing British workers and the 6.3 million members of our affiliated unions I regret that I have to write once again to raise our concerns in the strongest possible terms over the assassinations of Leslien Torcoroma Peñaranda Blanco and Francisco Antonio Abello Rebollo, and the threats levelled against Daíro Rúa.

According to the information received by the TUC, these trade unionists were murdered or threatened on account of their trade union activities:

  • Leslien Blanco, a teacher affiliated to ASINORT, was murdered on her way to work;
  • Francisco Abello had taken part in a successful 67 day strike for the recognition of the agricultural workers' union SINTRAINAGRO and the signing of a collective agreement between December 2009 and January 2010. Threats against the workers continued after the agreement was negotiated, and these threats became reality with Abello's murder on 17 May; and
  • Daíro Rúa, branch president of the mining and energy workers' union SINTRAMIENERGETICA, was threatened and declared a 'military target' after opposing the sale of assets belonging to the workers.

Your government has gone to great pains to argue that there has been a dramatic fall in the number of trade unionists being assassinated. Tragically the facts on the ground continue to contradict this.

The ongoing killings - which as we have already highlighted this year are continuing to run at the rate of more than one a week (25 in the first four months of the year) - indicate that contrary to the assurances given by your Government to the international community, little is being done to safeguard the lives of trade union members and activists in Colombia, or investigate and prosecute such murders.

I must again restate our position that until this situation is rectified, the British trade union movement will continue to urge our own Government to end their political and military support for the Colombian Government and oppose the signing of any bilateral trade agreements between the EU and Colombia.

I look forward to hearing from you regarding what measures are being taken to find and prosecute the murderers in these cases.

Yours sincerely

Brendan Barber

General Secretary

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