Threatened Honduran union leader moved to safe country
Threatened Honduran union leader moved to safe country
October 2, 2013
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) today confirmed that Honduran Victor Crespo has been moved out of Honduras to assure his safety, and that it has secured promises of action from the country’s Minister of Labour.
On 14th September three armed attackers tried to force entry to the home in Puerto Cortés of Victor Crespo, General Secretary of the Sindicato Gremial de Trabajadores del Muelle (SGTM). They left, shouting death threats, when they became aware of how many potential witnesses they’d woken up nearby. The attack followed two months of anonymous death threats telling Mr Crespo to stop seeking a collective agreement at the town’s port. The armed attackers yelled that he should “stop making noise organising stevedores”.
The ITF moved quickly to ensure Mr Crespo’s safety, and alerted the Honduran police, president, the ILO (International Labour Organization) and the port’s incoming concessionary operator. Last week ITF Americas regional secretary Antonio Fritz personally updated the union on the international work that has been done to defend Mr Crespo.
Mr Fritz has also met with Honduras’ Minister of Labour and Social Security Jorge Bográn Perdomo, who agreed completely with the need for police protection for Mr Crespo to allow him to carry on his trade union duties, and agreed to personally recommend this to the Honduran Attorney General.
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