Colombia: 'COMMITTED TO DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN'

 Unite observer pleased at Colombian result for trade 

Unite Landworker Winter 2023/4 

When Michelle Smith from the UNITE executive committee visited Colombia last year as part of a Justice for Colombia (J4C) delegation to observe the presidential election and monitor the state of trade union and human rights she witnessed “great enthusiasm… amongst voters… especially young people, women, ethnic minorities, the peace movement and trade unions.”

Michelle was delighted that Gustavo Petro was elected with his vice-president Francia Marquez -a long standing peace and environmental activist - becoming the first African-Colombian woman to hold the post in the new coalition government, the Historic Pact. “Social investment was promised with pledges to make decent education and healthcare more accessible to lower-income Colombians. By developing basic services, including improving sanitary conditions and bringing clean water to underdeveloped regions, poverty can be tackled”

Michelle met victims of state violence which includes thousands of trade unionists over the last half century with Colombia even today the deadliest country for organised labour.

Petro came to power promising to honour the 2016 Peace Agreement in which paramilitary and guerilla groups – of which FARC was the largest – laid down their weapons after a decades long war that left 450,000 civilians dead.

J4C, which was established to promote solidarity with Colombian civil society by the trade union movement here in 2002, played a vital role in facilitating the talks between the Colombian government and guerillas, of which Petro was one in his early adult years, that led to peace.

However, when Ivan Duque became President in 2018, he allowed inequality to rise and abandoned the peace pathway leading to over 1,300 social leaders and peace accord signatories being assassinated. 40 Fensuagro agricultural workers’ union members were murdered.

Petro’s government has promised Total Peace as a means of markedly distinguishing itself from previous fragmented and piecemeal negotiations with individual armed groups. It intends implementing peace accords as well as pursuing national unity by reducing inequality levels.

In March 2023 the government made history by recognising the trade union movement as a collective victim of the lengthy conflict. On 13 September a commemoration event that included Labour Minister Glorio Ramirez, a former trade unionist who visited Britain and Ireland with JFC in 2006, acknowledged the violence enacted against organised labour. Also present were relatives of murdered trade unionists as well as representatives of Colombia’s three trade union centres – CUT, CGT and CTC.

Petro told the crowd “With the strength of the people, I can say that the trade union movement was a victim of violence in thousands of murders due to greed and barbarism.”

Unsurprisingly, Michelle is heartened by developments.

“Trade unions in Britain and Ireland have long campaigned for an end to violence against Colombian trade unionists. We are very pleased that the current Colombia President recognises this historic injustice and is not only working alongside unions to develop government policy but has appointed former trade union leaders into key governmental positions.

“The challenge for Petro and the Colombian trade union movement will be seeing the ambitious social reforms and peace policy implemented inside the four-year term.

“Ongoing international support will be essential in maximising the possibility of making this a reality and Unite and other British and Irish unions Ireland are committed to doing everything we can.”