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CounterPunch
December
3, 2002
Life as a Trade
Unionist in Colombia
Each Year Brings New Miseries
by SARA CIFUENTES ORTIZ
Being a trade unionist in Colombia has become
a high-risk occupation and trade unionists frequently have to
pay with their own lives. Figures from last year show how critical
the situation has become.
Last year, 77 per cent of Colombian workers
earned less than two minimum salaries while the family shopping
basket cost 2.4 minimum salaries. 153 trade unionists were assassinated,
72 more were reported disappeared and around 10,000 live under
the threat of death.
The year 2001 closed on a very negative
note, especially for Colombian workers who found themselves under
attack from many fronts and saw their stability, security and
right to dignified work being snatched away. There was also a
serious intensification in the violation of trade union rights.
The situation for workers and the Colombian
trade union movement has had a common denominator over the last
two years and that has been unemployment. Figures supplied by
the CUT (Central Unitaria de Trabajadores--Central Workers Union)
and DANE (Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadistica--National
Statistics Bureau) reveal the highest levels of unemployment
in the history of Colombia, with unemployment increasing from
11.9 per cent in 1996 to 19.7 per cent in 2000.
For the year 2001 the figure has hovered
between 18.7 per cent and 20 per cent of the economically fully
active population. This translates as meaning that a large number
of people are not actually included in the statistics. Figures
for underemployment in 2001 stood at 34 per cent and the number
of people working in the informal sector topped 62 per cent.
As a consequence of increasing unemployment,
the level of poverty has also increased and there has been a
deterioration in the distribution of wealth. Evidence of this
is shown in shocking statistics which reveal that the number
of people living in poverty has increased from 20 million in
1996 to almost 23 million in 2001.
According to figures produced by the
National Planning Board, 77 per cent of workers earn less than
two minimum salaries and the family shopping basket costs more
than 2.4 minimum salaries. This means that thousands of Colombians
are not receiving adequate nutrition, many have had to take their
children out of education and hundreds more families have no
access to health care.
Trade Unions
Under Attack
80 per cent of the workers dismissed
in 2001 belonged to a trade union The percentage of workers affiliating
to trade unions, according to the CUT, has declined from 8 per
cent in 1998 to around 5.5 per cent in 2001. This situation is
attributed to the fact that people's right of association is
violated, there are massive dismissals of trade union affiliated
workers, 'voluntary' redundancy agreements, company liquidations,
extermination campaigns against trade unions, assassinations,
persecution, death threats and attacks on trade union leaders,
etc.
Between 1991 and 2001, more than 195
trade union organisations were dissolved and in the same period
of time, more than 356 trade unions went into recess. In other
words, today there are 100,061 trade union members and 541 trade
union organisations fewer than in years prior to 1991.
In 1990 a law was passed which introduced
substantial reforms into the labour market in order, it was said,
to generate employment. These reforms included reducing labour
costs and making labour more flexible.
Paradoxically, the law actually increased
unemployment, the economic conditions of workers deteriorated,
their job security was undermined with dismissal a constant threat
and they saw the foundations of a maquila system of labour being
laid. Suddenly changes were being made to the working day and
the working week, job security was disappearing, the trade union
movement was being weakened and salaries were being reduced in
real terms.
Law 100, passed in 1993, introduced the
privatisation of the health service which brought with it a deterioration
in public health as the network of state hospitals disappeared.
Today there are 600 public health establishments that are financially
bankrupt and cannot honour their obligations to the people, and
in particular to the workers.
Solidarity
and Human Rights
In 2001 violations of human rights increased
with the implementation of policies which eroded people's fundamental
rights.
The mining workers denounced that the
new Mining Code was not only damaging to workers in this sector
but also opened the doors to the deadly curse of paramilitarism,
as they were forced into a position of having to fight for their
rights. The same situation happened with the teachers who recently
opposed law 012 which reduced government funding to municipalities
and as a consequence reduced the amount of money available for
the education and health sectors. Their opposition to this law
increased the number of assassinations of members of the teachers
and health workers' unions.
The government did not take seriously
the very grave human rights situation affecting trade unionists
in Colombia and did not make any real commitment to fight against
paramilitaries who are responsible for the vast majority of the
assassinations of trade union leaders. Indeed the participation
of the state in certain of these crimes has been proven beyond
a shadow of a doubt, not least in the case of the attempt on
the life of Fenaltralse union leader, Wilson Borja, to mention
but one incidence.
As for trade union activity, the year
2001 was exemplary, in that tremendous efforts were made to create
unity and strengthen the struggle. The case of Funtrammetal and
Fedepetrol is a good example. These federations united under
the new name of Funtraenergetico and the new organisation includes
oil workers, miners, metallurgists, electricians, metal workers
and car construction workers. Over the year and while this unification
process was underway, 11 of their members were assassinated.
Likewise, the end of 2001 saw the unification
of ATT and Sittelecom which became the Sindicato Unico de Trabajadores
de las Communicaciones and brought renewed strength to the struggle
to defend the the country's telecommunications industries.
The year saw a number of strikes and
stoppages, such as the 71 day strike at Bavaria, the Red Cross
strike and the 10-day strike by the workers at Drummond. The
oil workers' union (USO), and the teachers' union (FECODE) also
organised various strikes and stoppages over the year. There
was also the badly hit National Agrarian Strike.
In spite of all the human rights violations
of all kinds perpetrated against workers and their trade union
organisations through the year, which resulted in 153 trade union
leaders assassinated, 72 disappeared, 27 who very nearly died
after being attacked with firearms and 10,000 who were threatened,
workers and their union have remained steadfast in the defence
of their rights and have not lost heart even knowing that they
are risking their lives.
Being a trade unionist has become a high-risk
occupation and trade unionists frequently have to pay with their
own lives.
Sara Cifuentes Ortiz writes for Voz. (Translation courtesy of the
Colombia Peace Association)
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