Witness for Peace

Support Colombian Sugarcane Workers Facing Violence - NO FTA!

Thousands of Colombian sugarcane workers in the Valle de Cauca, Risaralda and Cauca provinces – supported by the CUT, Colombia’s largest labor federation -- have been on strike since Monday, September 15, calling for basic minimum labor standards. Sadly, the sugarcane companies and the Colombian government completely refused to negotiate with the workers and instead sent in state troops to break up the work stoppage. These workers have the right to negotiate their very basic demands related to their work conditions, and instead they have been met with repression by state forces who receive U.S. funding. This latest repression happens on the heels of the Colombian government’s lobbying blitz in Washington, in a last ditch effort for the U.S. Congress to pass the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Congress needs to send a strong message to the Colombian government: NO FTA while labor rights continue to be attacked in Colombia.

The lives of sugarcane workers are on the line! Please take a moment to send a letter to your Representative, urging him/her to contact the U.S. State Department and Colombian government and to oppose the FTA. Adapt and send the model e-mail message below.

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November 21, 2009

Subject:

Greetings,

I am writing to bring your attention to the grave situation of 18,000 sugarcane workers in Colombia who have been on strike since September 15 in protest of the poor labor conditions they face due to the Colombian Government’s promotion of the “associative cooperative” system. Workers, most of whom are Afro-Colombian, are forced to work 12-14 hour days in a dangerous environment for embarrassingly low wages (often below the minimum wage) and without any job security. I, along with the unions and social organizations supporting the workers, are concerned about the safety of the workers. The striking workers have already been violently repressed by the police and military in the few days of work stoppage, and there have been threats that it will only get worse. The sugarcane workers’ rights to associate and to form a union are not being respected. This lack of workers rights is a reality in Colombia that must push the U.S. Congress to reject the U.S.-Colombia FTA. I urge you to oppose the U.S.-Colombia FTA and to contact the below leaders to encourage them to respect the sugarcane workers. -Contact President Alvaro Uribe at (571) 562-9300 ext. 3550 and urge him to guarantee the protection of the sugarcane workers and to the sugarcane industry to promptly negotiate with the workers. -Contact Susan Sanford (Tel: (202) 647-3142) and Jennie Munoz (202) 647-8307 at the U.S. State Department and urge them to get the U.S. Embassy to closely monitor this situation.
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