By Gustavo Capdevila
GENEVA, Jun 17 2005 (IPS)

Trade unionists have secured a commitment from the Colombian government to invite an International Labour Organisation (ILO) mission to the country to investigate reports of violations of the freedom of association and assassinations of labour leaders and workers.

This decision will rekindle the Colombian people’s trust in the tripartite system of governments, employers and workers that guides the activities of the ILO, said Julio Gómez Esquerra, general secretary of the General Labour Confederation (CGT) of Colombia.

We are leaving truly satisfied, because all of our efforts have been worthwhile, said the trade unionist following the adoption on Friday of the conclusions of an ILO committee report discussed at the 93rd session of the International Labour Conference, held May 31-Jun. 15 in Geneva.

It was resolved that the chairperson of the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association will visit Colombia as part of a mission that will also include the two vice chairs of the same committee, who represent employers and workers.

The ILO delegation will meet with government officials, workers and employers organisations, and representatives of the judicial and administrative bodies responsible for investigation and supervision.

The mission will focus particularly on matters related to the application of ILO convention No. 87, which addresses the freedom of association and protection of the right to organise.

The concept of freedom of association encompasses the right to organise trade unions, the right to collective bargaining, and the right to strike.

But in the past 15 years, a new ingredient has emerged – namely human rights violations like the murders of trade unionists and the forced displacement of labour leaders through intimidation and threats, noted Gómez.

A report from the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), the world’s largest coalition of labour organisations, noted that Colombia continues to be a highly hostile environment for trade unionists.

The report noted that 90 Colombian trade unionists had been murdered in 2004, and that there had also been an increase in death threats against union leaders that same year, up to a total of 295, along with other forms of repression, particularly arbitrary arrests.

The ILO has called on the Colombian government to submit its comments on the reports of violations filed by trade union representatives during the recently concluded International Labour Conference.

Colombian trade union leaders, backed by the ICFTU and another international organisation, the World Confederation of Labour (WCL), denounced the acts of violence and obstacles to union organising that they face in their country.

The Colombian labour activists emphasised the lack of respect for the right to organise during restructuring, privatisation and merger processes, especially in public sector enterprises, where violations of this right include massive layoffs.

The report from the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association “deplored the situation of impunity with respect to numerous murders and other acts of violence against trade union leaders,” adding that “impunity inevitably contributed to the climate of violence affecting all sectors of the society and the destruction of the trade union movement.”

The Committee “strongly urged” the Colombian government “to take the necessary measures to carry on with the investigations that have begun, and to put an end to the intolerable situation of impunity.”

Gómez commented that the visit by an official ILO mission to Colombia will represent an innovation “that opens up a whole new perspective.” Nevertheless, the country’s trade unionists will not use the delegation’s conclusions to further polarise the internal climate, he stressed.

Instead, they hope the report prepared by the mission on the violations of the right to association and the murders of labour leaders will “serve as a means of reflection to find solutions to Colombia’s problems,” he said.

The report of the Committee on Freedom of Association was approved by the ILO Governing Body, which also elected a new chairman, Argentine Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security Carlos A. Tomada, who will replace Philippe Séguin of France.

In addition to Colombia, the Committee’s report also drew special attention to the cases of Cambodia, Iran, Myanmar (Burma) and Zimbabwe with regard to freedom of association.

The International Labour Conference addressed such issues as hours of work, which many employers and governments want to make more flexible, and strategies for promoting youth employment.

Also on the agenda was the adoption of an international convention on work in the fishing sector. At the last minute, however, the draft convention was rejected, due to the opposition of employers and a number of governments, including the United States and China. Discussion of this matter has been postponed until the 2007 conference.

Excerpt: