27th November 2009
PRESS RELEASE
Many safe returns: Australian groups unite in a call for the safety of visiting trade union representative
Australian trade unions, civil society and solidarity groups have called on the Colombian government to take urgent action to protect the safety and human rights of a visiting Colombian trade union official when he returns home.
The call follows a death threat made to the Colombian office of Sinaltrainal, the National Workers Union of Food Industry of Colombia. The threat targeted Sinaltrainal President Luis Javier Correa Suarez and is believed to be linked to a protracted industrial dispute with Coca-Cola and the current tour of Australia by the leader of Sinaltrainal’s Medellin branch, Duban Velez.
Duban Velez is in Australia representing Sinaltrainal and the wider Colombian Trade Union Confederation (Antioquia) speaking out against the treatment of Coca-Cola workers in Colombia. Yesterday he also attended the annual meeting of BHP Billiton to highlight concerns over the treatment of workers at the world’s largest mining company’s Cerrejon coal mine and the forced relocation of Indigenous communities.
Violence and intimidation of trade union and labour rights activists is common in Colombia with 31 organisers murdered already in 2009 and around 4000 in the past decade. Duban Velez has been raising this issue in his meetings with trade unionists and supporters in Australia and now faces the very real threat of this on his return home.
“We expect Duban to have a safe return to Colombia and that the Government will respect Duban’s right to be a union organiser and his human rights, especially his right to live safely and without fear of violence,” Andrew Dettmer President of the Queensland Labor Party.
“In Australia we have the right to use our basic human rights. This also means we have a responsibility to support others who do not enjoy this level of safety. Acting to improve people’s working conditions or protect the environment is a never a crime”.
“We call on Coca Cola to state their support for workers rights and condemn threats against trade union activists in their home country.” Andrew Dettmer.
Contact
Duban Velez via Lucho Riquelme 0400 914 944
Supporting Organisations
AMWU, ACF, FoE, LASNET,
add your name or your organisation at LASNET.
Thanks to everyone for your extraordinary support and commitment.
Send your support and copies of your messages to LASNET
Send your message and letters of concern to:
The Attorney General’s Office
Emails: contacto@fiscalia.gov.co
denuncias@fiscalia.gov.co
President Alvaro Uribe
Email: auribe@presidencia.gov.co
Interamerican Commission for Human Rights
Email: cidhoea@oas.org.com
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Email: oacnudh@hchr.org.co
Colombian Embassy in Australia
His Excellency Mr Diego Betancourt
Postal Embassy of Republic of Colombia
PO Box 227 Civic Square Postshop City ACT 2608
Email: Embassyofcolombia@bigpond.com
ecanberra@cancilleria.gov.au
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