Vanessa Garbett, a member of the Electrical Trades Union in Victoria, writes of her experiences visiting Colombia last year as part of a union delegation.
Colombia is a country in turmoil and war caused by globalisation and exploitation by multinational business interests, the US and the capitalist government of Alvaro Uribe.
Colombia is rich in minerals and resources, yet the vast majority of its population live in adverse poverty. Colombia is a dangerous country to be an activist, unionist or someone who speaks out against the abuse of human rights.
The US legitimises its military aid to Colombia under the guise of its fight against cocaine trafficking. But in reality, these weapons are put in the hands of paramilitaries and used to persecute and kill workers and activists and to displace and destroy whole communities.
Cartagena, a town in the north, is Colombia's most popular tourist destination. But it has another side: 80% of its population live in poverty, subsisting on less than US$2 a day. In the communities our delegation visited, the local government is in the process of building a road, which is causing flooding that can reach waist height in the houses. This, combined with the two-metre-wide open sewers, creates huge problems of disease and infections, mostly suffered by children.
Housing consists of dirt floors with little or no furniture. There is no access to running water for most and electricity supply is limited or inaccessible. Local health services have been closed due to lack of funding and resources. Local schools are underfunded and lack basic learning aids such as paper and books, and many have been forced to close.
Inalides, our guide in Cartagena and an organiser with the union that covers the child and family welfare sector, explained how government programs for the welfare and education of children have got progressively worse. Since the Colombian government absolved responsibility for the programs, they have been handed over to communities without the necessary resources or infrastructure, paving the way for legitimising the privatisation of services.
Without sufficient government funding, "community mothers" are taking care of as many as 13 children each in their own homes from 8am-4pm. Community mothers are responsible for the children's early education, but are often themselves illiterate or have very limited education. These workers receive 186,000 pesos ($79) a month in the form of a subsidy, well below the minimum wage of 408,000 pesos ($173) a month.
The education sector is also undergoing privatisation and teachers who protest this are transferred or denied jobs.
Members of the Public Services Union explained how the town's water was privatised 10 years ago, taken over by a Spanish company that refuses to recognise the union. The company sacked many workers, refused to acknowledge the existing enterprise agreement and singled out workers to force them onto individual contracts. The indebted company was then sold after 10 years of making huge profits, leaving the people of Cartagena to pay the debt to the International Monetary Fund.
Julio, a representative of the local electrical trades union, said that "as trade unions, our first concern is human rights" and "privatisation is our biggest fight". He added: "The Colombian government now supported by the paramilitaries and with the outside influence of big business is the biggest threat to human rights."
Through privatisation of the electricity company, Julio explained, "the company developed a policy of extermination of the union. When someone retires or dies they are replaced with a sub-contractor. Many of our members need body guards and are continuously threatened and harassed."
Pablo, a taxi driver and union member, told of similar problems: "Since 2002, 19 of our comrades have been assassinated, one is missing, two have been displaced and one is in exile in Spain. These people are taxi drivers, not drug traffickers."
Cartagena's oil refinery was also in the process of being privatised at the time of our delegation's visit. Uribe had done a deal with US President George Bush to sell the refinery. The refinery required $80 million to modernise and the Venezuelan government offered to buy a minority share of the refinery to keep it state-owned and providing an income for the community. But the Uribe government refused the offer.
International solidarity and constant international observation of Colombia are crucial. While most of South America is moving to the left, Colombia is under the control of the right and the neoliberal, self-serving policies of the US. These powers use the drug trade to disguise the human-rights abuses committed in the interests of global capital. Colombian workers need our support.
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, April 26, 2006.
Visit the