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<div class=Section1>
<h1><b><font size=6 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:24.0pt'>Congressional
Statements Opposing Obama's Decision to Move Forward with FTA<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span lang=ES-CO style='font-size:
11.0pt'><a
href="http://www.wola.org/publications/congressional_statements_opposing_obamas_decision_to_move_forward_with_fta"><span
lang=EN-US>http://www.wola.org/publications/congressional_statements_opposing_obamas_decision_to_move_forward_with_fta</span></a></span><span
lang=ES-CO> </span><o:p></o:p></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=submitted><font size=2 face=Calibri><span
lang=ES-CO style='font-size:11.0pt'>17 Apr 2012 <o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><img
border=0 width=200 height=200 id="Picture_x005f_x0020_1"
src="cid:image001.jpg@01CD1C82.11EB9370"
alt="Description: http://www.wola.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/node_default/dc.jpg"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>WOLA
welcomes the following statements in defense of labor rights in <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Colombia</st1:place></st1:country-region> by
Representative Jim McGovern and Representative Sander Levin.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>###<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a
href="http://mcgovern.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=15§iontree=168,15&itemid=628"><strong><b><font
face="Times New Roman">Statement by U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern on Colombia Free
Trade Agreement</font></b></strong></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>“I
am disappointed in the President's decision to bring the FTA into force so
quickly. At a time when threats and murders of human rights and land rights
leaders are escalating, and threats and violence against labor activists
continue unabated, this premature decision sends the wrong signal at the wrong
time. <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Colombia</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s
new ministries and enforcement mechanisms, while welcome, have yet to make a
difference in the workplace, and threats against unionists and workers
attempting to organize continue unabated. As a member of the Congressional
Monitoring Group, I will continue to keep the Administration's and the
Colombian government's feet to the fire until impunity comes to an end and <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Colombia</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s
workers can safely and freely exercise their rights.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>###<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a
href="http://democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/press/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=12103"
target="_blank"><strong><b><font face="Times New Roman">Levin Statement on
Colombia Action Plan on Labor Rights</font></b></strong></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on"><strong><b><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>WASHINGTON</span></font></b></strong>–
<em><i><font face="Times New Roman">Ways</font></i></em></st1:address></st1:Street><em><i><font
face="Times New Roman"> and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI)
issued the following statement after four days of meetings in <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Colombia</st1:place></st1:country-region> last
week on the Action Plan on Labor Rights:</font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The
Action Plan on Labor Rights signed a year ago incorporated important
commitments to address serious issues regarding worker rights, violence and
impunity.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Yesterday,
President Obama indicated that ‘more work needs to be done’ on the
labor situation in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Colombia</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>I believe
that needs far more emphasis and is a much more realistic view than reflected
in portions of the Fact Sheet on the Action Plan issued yesterday by USTR in
the context of the May 15 implementation of the FTA.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>I describe
below my assessment of the facts on my four extensive trips to <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Colombia</st1:place></st1:country-region>
including last week. I urge that it is important to develop an ongoing
roadmap based on actual progress to date and the concrete progress needed to
change the reality on the ground for workers who have been without their rights
in a culture antagonistic to those rights. So I urge all interested parties
–including NGOs, the various worker organizations, human rights groups,
the media and others, working with the two Administrations to the extent
possible and interested legislators—to develop such a roadmap.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>In all of
my discussions with President Santos, Labor Minister Pardo and others in this
Colombian Administration there has never been a question of their good
intentions. Part of the purpose of the Action Plan was to support the new
Colombian Administration as it developed the tools to address long standing
problems and overcome resistance to the goals in the Action Plan.
Necessary for such implementation is recognition, not a blurring, of the
realities on the ground, as described below based on my first hand observations
and discussions.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The fact
is that much work remains in each of the following key areas.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><strong><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Cooperatives.</span></font></b></strong>
Colombian employers force workers to join sham “cooperatives” to
hide true employment relationships. Workers hired through cooperatives,
and other forms of commercial contacts that do not have rights under the
Colombian labor code, including the right to form a union and collectively
bargain. In 2009, cooperatives covered nearly 1.4 million workers,
compared to 820,000 workers under a union and only 253,000 (1%) covered by a
collective bargaining agreement.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>A
centerpiece of the Action Plan was to eliminate the misuse of cooperatives or
any other kind of commercial contractual relationship. The Action Plan
specifically targeted the palm oil, sugar, mine, port and flower sectors as
priorities for addressing abuse of cooperatives and other forms of commercial
contracting. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The
situation on the ground has not changed in these priority sectors –
cooperatives remain the dominant form of employment in these areas.
Indeed, in the one priority sector where there has been some enforcement action
– the palm sector – the cooperatives persist, including in the
company that was sanctioned (but which has not yet paid the fine).
Moreover, in cases where some employers have stopped using cooperatives, they
have turned to other forms of contracting to hide direct employment, contrary
to a 2010 law and the new regulations, with no action yet by the Government of
Colombia. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><strong><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Collective
Pacts. </span></font></b></strong>Another device used by Colombian
employers to undermine unions is direct negotiations with non-unionized workers
even where a union is present (known as “collective pacts”).
Under the Action Plan, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Colombia</st1:place></st1:country-region>
committed to address the problem of “collective pacts” by
criminalizing situations where employers offer better terms to non-unionized
workers, and by implementing a robust enforcement regime to detect and
prosecute violations. Yet, to date, there has not been a prosecution or,
apparently, even a criminal investigation, for violations of the collective
pact provisions of the new law providing for these penalties (Article
200). Moreover, the Colombian Attorney General’s Office, which has
primary enforcement authority in this area, has not developed guidance or
trained investigators and prosecutors on enforcement of Article 200. The
Labor Ministry, likewise, has not trained its inspectors on Article 200, and
workers in companies where collective pacts persist indicate no enforcement
inspections have taken place to date. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p><strong><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Enforcement.
</span></font></b></strong><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Colombia</st1:place></st1:country-region>
has hired 100 new labor inspectors, as it committed to do under the Action
Plan. Nevertheless, the inspections required under the Action Plan for
priority sectors have yet to be effectively implemented.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Palm
sector inspections occurred only in November, after a significant, highly
publicized conflict, and were limited to a few companies in only one region of
the country. The U.S. Department of Labor had serious, systemic concerns about
the adequacy of those inspections, and began intensive work with the Colombians
in December 2011 to address those concerns. It became apparent in my recent
meetings that it was only in the last few weeks that an “implementation
guide” for labor inspectors on cooperatives was developed.
Moreover, I received first hand information during my meetings that most
regional inspectors – who under <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Colombia</st1:place></st1:country-region> law have initial
enforcement responsibility – have not been trained on the new guide, so
enforcement of the cooperatives law and regulation remains undeveloped.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Guidance
and training still needs to be developed for enforcement of Article 200 on
collective pacts, and the other provisions of Article 200 which criminalize
actions to undermine worker rights. Guidance and training is also needed
on use of temporary employment agencies being used to undermine worker rights,
which was committed to under the Action Plan.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Additional
Labor Ministry inspections occurred last week in the port sector – but
outcomes are not known. Advocates for port workers allegedly fired for
exercising basic rights expressed concern that the recent inspections did not
cover this anti-union conduct.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Finally,
the Colombian Attorney General should develop a concrete structure for guidance
and training for its regional prosecutors on all aspects of Article 200 and to
ensure that the main (<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bogota</st1:place></st1:City>)
office can provide oversight in implementation.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><strong><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Violence/Impunity.
</span></font></b></strong>There have been clear efforts to address violence
against workers. Protection efforts have been developed. However,
widespread impunity remains a major challenge, and as discussed last week with
the new Fiscalia, there still is lacking a clear plan for the prosecutions of
violence against workers and union leaders, and the pace of investigations and
prosecutions remains slow. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>*****<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>At the
time of consideration of the FTA, I urged that there be a clear reference to
the Action Plan in the implementation bill, which would have provided important
additional context for the enforcement of the obligations on fundamental
workers rights. The decision not include such a reference, done because
of House Republican opposition, was a mistake. The omission makes it all
the more vital that we have a clear understanding of what is expected under the
Action Plan, what has been done, and what remains to be achieved.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>###<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Photo by <a
href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pesut/364905354/">Elliot P.</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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