23 July, 2013The Colombian oil workers’ union, Unión Sindical Obrera (USO) drove public hearings into the ethics of oil industry companies, including the Canadian company Pacific Rubiales Energy.
The main energy sector union in Canada, the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) through President Dave Coles, participated in the tribunal, which heard union and community representatives denounce Pacific Rubiales for violating human and labour rights and polluting the River Meta. USO and CEP are both IndustriALL affiliates.
The effort by USO to organise Pacific Rubiales workers in the Meta region oil fields of Colombia has received international solidarity and support since mid 2011. Read of the sinister alliance between the company and the local mayor of Puerto Gaitán, Edgar Humberto Silva, the great lengths and the dirty tactics employed by Pacific Rubiales to illegally crush the USO presence at its operations here.
In his report to the tribunal, Dave Coles said he was ashamed of the Canadian company’s behaviour in Colombia and that the CEP, whose members have worked tirelessly to promote international solidarity, supported the action taken by workers and communities in the region to pressure the company into respecting their rights and responding to their demands. He said that, if necessary, he supported the expulsion of transnational companies that continue to harm the environment in Colombia.
This activity was based on the proceedings at the hearing into the oil industry, which took place in Puerto Gaitán Meta on 13-14 July. Workers and communities denounced the behaviour of oil companies in this part of the country and described it as a violation of national sovereignty.
IndustriALL also attended the hearing, representing its 50 million members worldwide, and supports this initiative to provide workers and communities with an opportunity to voice their grievances and decide on what action should be taken.