Colombia's 'other coke' problem

Michael Pugliese debsian at pacbell.net
Wed Aug 1 06:30:44 PDT 2001


Do a google search on Guatemala and Coca-Cola and union, and you will find same death squadistra activity there in the 90's. Michael Pugliese

San Francisco Chronicle

July 30, 2001

URL:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/0 7/30/ED213030.DTL

Colombia's 'other coke' problem

THE UNITED STEELWORKERS of America and an American labor rights group have

filed a suit in the United States accusing Coca-Cola and other bottlers of

using right-wing paramilitary groups to intimidate and assassinate Colombian

labor organizers. Coca-Cola has denied these accusations.

Someone, however, is killing labor organizers in Colombia. Last year, 130

union members were slain. This year, 67 union members have already been

murdered.

Colombian human rights groups say that the United Self-Defense Forces of

Colombia, a paramilitary group, is responsible for these deaths. Intimidation

takes many forms. After the death of one labor organizer, a plant manager

handed out union resignation forms. Workers have gotten the message. From a

high of 1,300 members in 1993, the number of union workers at Coke plants has

dropped to 450 in 2001.

In Colombia, as in the United States, workers enjoy a legal right

to organize. But when they do, they face grave threats.

This is a serious violation of human rights, one that Congress

should consider before sending additional military aid to a government that can't -- or won't -- control its paramilitary forces.

©2001 San Francisco Chronicle



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