'15 Colombian unionists murdered since Labor Action Plan took effect'

[Judi Lynn]

'15 Colombian unionists murdered since Labor Action Plan took effect'
Monday, 26 September 2011 16:04
Travis Mannon

Fifteen union leaders have been murdered since the Labor Action Plan between the United States and Colombia went into effect in April 2011, said the largest U.S-based trade union federation in a letter to President Barack Obama.

The president of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) urged Obama to not send the Colombia-U.S. free trade agreement to Congress for approval until the Colombian government addresses human rights violations against unionists in their country.

The Labor Action Plan is a requisite for the approval of the FTA, which forces the Colombian government to address violence against unionists. The plan has been a source of controversy as critics argue that it does not require results and actual improvement.

"Despite the Labor Action Plan that Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos agreed to in April, violent suppression of workers, as well as land rights, indigenous, and Afro-Colombian activists continues unabated," said AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka in the letter to Obama.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/19251-15-union-leaders-murdered-since-labor-action-plan-took-effect-afl-cio.html