Colombia deports unionists

Maria Eaavist

Aidan White, General Secretary of the International Federation of 
Journalists, condemned the Colombian Government for deporting 
four senior international trade unionists from the international 
airport in Bogota in early November.

"In a country where union activists are being killed as they 
fight for their rights, it is intolerable that international 
unionists expressing solidarity and support should be victims of 
a political game of intimidation", said White.

The four labour leaders, due to attend an international union 
meeting, were detained at the El Dorado airport by agents of 
Colombia's secret police, DAS. They were told by senior 
immigration officials that their names appeared on a "list of 
people denied entry to Colombia" because they had attended an 
international union conference last September later described as 
"illegal" by senior government officials.

The four included Victor Baez Mosqueira, General Secretary of the 
world's biggest union confederation, the Inter-American Regional 
Organisation of the International Confederation of Free Trade 
Unions (ICFTU).

In Brussels, a delegation led by ICFTU Assistant General 
Secretary Jose Olivio de Oliveira told Colombia's ambassador, 
Nicolas Echavarrma, that the deportation marks an escalation of 
the government's anti-union policies.

Following strong international condemnation, Colombia's Vice 
President Francisco Santos and Foreign Minister Carolina Barco 
apologised for the deportation, arguing it was a "mistake by 
immigration officials".

According to ICFTU Online, the delegation told the 
Colombian ambassador that this explanation "could not be 
accepted".

"This is no accident or mistake", Olivio de Oliveira said. "The 
government's explanations are simply not credible, and we are 
determined to respond to this hostile development with all 
available means."

The delegation also expressed its concern that the Colombian 
Government's list may fall into the hands of extremist 
paramilitaries.

According to a new report by Colombia's National Labor College, 
attacks against trade unionists have increased during the 
government of President Alvaro Uribe by almost 20 percent. More 
than 50 union activists have been assassinated this year by state 
security forces and right-wing paramilitary death squads.

In another development, union leaders from Great Britain, Ireland 
and Spain who had arrived in Colombia to attend a meeting of 
women trade unionists had their 60-day visas suddenly cancelled 
and were permitted to stay only three days in the country.

The government's decision was reversed following a formal protest 
to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented by representatives 
of the global union federations and Colombian unions.

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People's Weekly World