IndustriALL repudiates killing of Colombian peasant leader8 November, 2013On Saturday, 2 November between 5pm and 6pm, César García was killed by a shot to the head when arriving at his farm at La Vereda la Cajón la Leona in the municipality of Cajamarca. Garciá was a well-known opponent of the mega gold mining project La Colosa. The main investor is Anglogold Ashanti.
We demand guarantees for USO’s trade union activities in Colombia20 December, 2013The Coordinating Committee for Unity in the Mining and Energy Sector (Coordinadora para la Unidad del Sector Minero Energético, CUSME) is calling for the government to guarantee that the oil workers’ union (Unión Sindical Obrera, USO) will be able to carry out its trade union activities free from interference; release detained workers; withdraw arrest warrants; and close the files on 39 legal cases brought against USO members, 34 of which concern protests by workers and the community in the Pacific Rubiales “Banana Republic” in Meta.
Drummond acquitted despite accidents and threats7 May, 2015A six-year legal battle came to an end when the United States Court of Appeal ruled in favour of US-based coal company Drummond, accused of conspiring with paramilitary groups, involvement in a workplace accident and threatening to dismiss workers in Colombia.
IndustriALL condemns death threats made to Colombian union leader 10 August, 2016IndustriALL Global Union is outraged at the threats received by trade union leader Rodolfo Vecino Acevedo, a member of the national executive committee of the Colombian oil workers’ union, USO, an IndustriALL affiliate.
Historic ceasefire in Colombia31 August, 2016A bilateral and definitive ceasefire agreed by the Colombian government and the FARC will bring peace to the country after 50 years of violence.
Victory! USO leaders released in Colombia25 February, 2014After 75 days in detention, leaders of the oil workers’ union, the Union Sindical Obrera (USO), a Colombian affiliate of IndustriALL Global Union, were released on 18 and 19 February. This was a victory for the trade union movement.
Police evict striking Gerdau workers in Colombia 9 February, 2017Police in Colombia have evicted 47 workers, all trade union members, from the Gerdau Diaco plant, where they had been protesting peacefully since November last year.
Case study: Glencore in Colombia2 August, 2018Colombia is another of the resource-rich, conflict-ridden countries favoured by Glencore. The company is well known in the country for its violations of the environment and workers rights, including health and safety and the freedom of association.
Union leaders in Colombia face threats and violence29 August, 2018Colombia is one of the ten most dangerous countries in the world for workers and trade union leaders, where 19 trade union members have been murdered so far this year. IndustriALL Global Union and other federations have expressed their concerns to Colombia's president, Iván Duque.
Building union power through an energy, mining and base metals ‘macro sector’ in Latin America25 September, 2018IndustriALL affiliates from the energy, mining and base metals sectors came together as a macro sector to discuss strategies for increasing their union power and building stronger union structures in a globalized world in constant flux.
