International Labour Conference silent on Colombia

International Labour Conference silent on Colombia

PSI deeply regrets that the situation in Colombia will not be discussed within the Committee on the Application of Standards, now taking place during the 96th session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva. Given the continuing seriousness of the situation in Colombia, PSI is disappointed and saddened that employer and government representatives to the ILC did not accept that Colombia be included in the final list of cases to be discussed.

Colombia had appeared on the preliminary list of cases to be examined during the conference, in relation to violations of ILO Conventions 87 (Freedom of Association) and 98 (Collective Bargaining).

Colombia holds the record of being the country in which the most men and women have been murdered as a direct result of their trade union work. In 2005, 70 trade unionists were assassinated. In 2006, the figure rose to 72 trade unionists. Acts of violence against trade unionists further include kidnappings, attempted assassinations, disappearances, threats, detentions, tortures and forced displacement, all in a climate of impunity.

A report produced by the International Confederation of Trade Unions (ITUC) in November 2006 highlighted the fact that in practice, few workers in Colombia can enjoy their fundamental rights to form and join a union, to bargain collectively and to strike, despite the fact that those were all enshrined in Colombia’s 1991 Constitution. Employers’ illegal anti-union acts usually go unpunished while the government’s practices during restructuring and privatisation of public companies can only be considered deliberate anti-union strategies.

PSI calls on the ILO to remain firm in its commitment to improving the situation of trade unionists in Colombia, including strengthening the ILO permanent representation in the country and working to ensure the full implementation of the tripartite agreement between the Colombian government, trade unions, employers on the right to freedom of association and democracy, which was drawn up within the 2006 ILC.

ENDS

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