BY CHRIS SLEE
MELBOURNE — On July 14, 40 people attended a public meeting to launch the Stop Killer Coke campaign, the aim of which is to pressure Coca-Cola to recognise union rights at its bottling plants in Colombia.
Members of Sinaltrainal, the union representing Colombian Coca-Cola workers, have been kidnapped, tortured and murdered. Management's close relationship with paramilitary death squads has been used to intimidate union members.
Coca-Cola denies responsibility for the actions of the contractors who run its Colombian plants, but solidarity activists point out that Coca-Cola, which has a history of anti-union activities in many countries, could force the contractors to end the campaign of terror if it wished.
After a film about Sinaltrainal's struggle, solidarity activist Roque Grillo spoke about the broader context of repression in Colombia.
Since the coming to power of the current right-wing government of President Alvaro Uribe less than a year ago, 92 trade union militants have been murdered while others have been detained, threatened or "disappeared". This is a continuation of the repression which has gone on for decades with the support of the United States. Colombia is the largest recipient of US military aid after Israel, and there are thousands of US troops and mercenaries in the country.
David Glanz, speaking on behalf of the Socialist Alliance, described the successful struggle of Guatemalan Coca-Cola workers in the 1980s, when they faced similar repression to that faced by the Sinaltrainal workers. Solidarity action around the world, including industrial action by workers in Norway, Sweden, Italy, Mexico and elsewhere, helped the Guatemalan workers to win their demands.
There will be a solidarity rally in Melbourne on July 22, starting at 5pm in Federation Square. The Electrical Trades Union is also planning to put bans on Coke machines in solidarity with the Colombian workers.
From Green Left Weekly, July 23, 2003.
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