[CTC] Colombia-US FTA will halt labor rights progress: WOLA

[Gimena Sanchez]

Dear CTC List Activists,



The news coming out of Colombia is that President Obama will be announcing that the conditions of the Labor Action Plan have been met and that the US will move forward with the FTA at next week's Summit of the Americas. We are extremely concerned about this and have been taking actions with U.S. policymakers and others for the past week. We strongly urge you all to do the same.



Please help us send the message to the Obama Administration that it's premature to declare a victory on the Labor Action Plan and that the labor rights situation for all workers and Afrodescendants in particular is far from better. Declaring a victory on the LAP right now would be throwing away all political leverage for change in these critical situations in Colombia at this time.



Urgent actions, blogs, tweet campaigns, letters, announcements, articles and everything that can generate a buzz against this are encouraged!



For your reference I am attaching the following documents that we translated into English:

-Statement by the Port Workers Union calling on trade unions and hr organizations to delay implementation of the FTA.

-Letter to Presidents Obama and Santos by 12 trade unions and labor movements in Colombia stating that the Labor Action Plan's promises have not been met

-Report by Senator Alexander Lopez Maya, Vice President of the Colombian Senate and member of the Senate Comision that is following the labor action plan that explains in detail the lack of compliance on the part of Colombia regarding the Labor Action Plan (i.e. ILO recommendations not abided to by Colombia, status of cooperatives, lack of true mediation by the Ministry of Labor on various labor conflicts and situation in multiple hard hit sectors including labor and sugar that are predominantly Afro-Colombian).

-Letter from Port Workers Union regarding the firing of over 70 workers (over 95% Afro-Colombian) since October 2011 for attempting to form a labor union.

-Our most recent letter to the Congressional Monitoring Group on Labor Rights with the SEIU concerning Sinaltrainal.



We appreciate any and all actions that can be taken.



Thanks,

Gimena

WOLA

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