

Currently released so far... 12646 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
2011/05/01
2011/05/02
2011/05/03
2011/05/04
2011/05/05
2011/05/06
2011/05/07
2011/05/08
2011/05/09
2011/05/10
2011/05/11
2011/05/12
2011/05/13
2011/05/14
2011/05/15
2011/05/16
2011/05/17
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
AORC
AF
AU
ASEC
AMGT
AS
APER
AR
AEMR
AG
ARF
AJ
AA
AINF
APECO
AODE
ABLD
AMG
ATPDEA
AE
AMED
AGAO
AFIN
AL
ASUP
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AID
ASCH
AM
AORL
ASEAN
APEC
ADM
AFSI
AFSN
ADCO
ABUD
AN
AY
AIT
ACOA
ASIG
AADP
AGR
ANET
ADPM
AMCHAMS
ATRN
ALOW
ACS
APCS
AFFAIRS
ADANA
AECL
ACAO
AORG
AROC
AO
ACABQ
AGMT
AX
AMEX
AFGHANISTAN
AZ
AND
ARM
AQ
ATFN
AMBASSADOR
ACBAQ
AC
AUC
ASEX
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
AFU
BR
BTIO
BY
BO
BA
BU
BL
BN
BM
BF
BEXP
BK
BG
BB
BTIU
BBSR
BRUSSELS
BD
BIDEN
BE
BH
BILAT
BC
BT
BP
BX
BMGT
BWC
CS
CA
CH
CD
CO
CE
CU
CVIS
CASC
CJAN
CI
CPAS
CMGT
CDG
CIC
CAC
CBW
CWC
COUNTER
CW
CT
CR
CY
CNARC
CACM
CG
CB
CM
CV
CIDA
CLINTON
CHR
COE
CIS
CDC
CONS
CF
CFED
CODEL
CBSA
CEUDA
COM
CARSON
COPUOS
CIA
CL
CN
CROS
CAPC
CTR
CACS
CONDOLEEZZA
CICTE
COUNTRY
CBE
CKGR
CVR
COUNTERTERRORISM
CITEL
CLEARANCE
CARICOM
CSW
CITT
CDB
CJUS
CTM
CAN
CLMT
CBC
EAID
ECON
EFIS
ETRD
EC
ENRG
EINV
EFIN
EAGR
ETTC
ECPS
EINT
EPET
ES
EIND
EAIR
EU
EUN
EG
ELAB
EWWT
EMIN
ECIN
ESA
ER
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
EAIG
ET
ETRO
ELTN
EI
EN
EUR
EK
EUMEM
ENIV
EPA
ENGR
EXTERNAL
EUREM
ELN
EUC
ENERG
EZ
ERD
EFTA
ETRC
ETRN
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EEPET
EUNCH
ENVR
ESENV
ENNP
ERNG
ENVI
ETRDECONWTOCS
ECINECONCS
EFINECONCS
EXIM
ELECTIONS
ECA
EINVEFIN
ETC
EAP
ECONOMY
EINN
ECONOMIC
EXBS
ECUN
ENGY
ECONOMICS
EIAR
EINDETRD
ECONEFIN
EURN
EDU
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ECIP
EFIM
EAIDS
EREL
EINVETC
ECONCS
ETRA
IC
IV
IAEA
IR
IT
IO
IN
IS
IZ
IMO
IPR
IWC
ICAO
ILO
ID
ICTY
ICJ
INMARSAT
INDO
IL
IMF
IRS
IQ
IA
ICRC
IDA
IAHRC
IBRD
ISLAMISTS
IDP
IGAD
ILC
ITRA
ICTR
ITU
IBET
ITF
INRA
INRO
INTELSAT
IEFIN
IRC
IRAQI
ITALY
ISRAELI
IIP
ITPGOV
ITALIAN
INTERNAL
INTERPOL
IEA
INRB
INR
IZPREL
IRAJ
IF
ITPHUM
ISRAEL
IACI
KBTR
KPAO
KOMC
KCRM
KDEM
KHIV
KBIO
KTIA
KMDR
KNNP
KSCA
KTIP
KWMN
KIPR
KCOR
KRVC
KFRD
KPAL
KWBG
KE
KTDB
KUNR
KSPR
KJUS
KGHG
KAWC
KCFE
KGCC
KOLY
KSUM
KACT
KISL
KTFN
KFLU
KSTH
KMPI
KHDP
KS
KHLS
KSEP
KMRS
KID
KN
KU
KAWK
KSAC
KCOM
KAID
KIRC
KWMNCS
KMCA
KNEI
KCRS
KPKO
KICC
KIRF
KPOA
KV
KDRG
KSEO
KVPR
KTER
KBCT
KFIN
KGIC
KCIP
KZ
KG
KWAC
KRAD
KPRP
KTEX
KNAR
KPLS
KPAK
KSTC
KFLO
KSCI
KIDE
KO
KOMS
KHSA
KSAF
KPWR
KVRP
KENV
KNSD
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KCGC
KVIR
KFSC
KDDG
KPRV
KTBT
KWMM
KX
KMFO
KR
KMOC
KRIM
KCRCM
KBTS
KOCI
KGIT
KNUP
KPAONZ
KNUC
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KTLA
KCSY
KTRD
KNPP
KJUST
KCMR
KRCM
KCFC
KCHG
KREL
KFTFN
KLIG
KDEMAF
KPAI
KICA
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KHUM
KREC
KSEC
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KWWMN
KOM
KWNM
KRFD
KMIG
KRGY
KIFR
MARR
MOPS
MASS
MX
MNUC
MCAP
MO
MR
MEPP
MTCRE
MAPP
MEPN
MZ
MT
ML
MA
MY
MIL
MD
MASSMNUC
MU
MK
MTCR
MUCN
MAS
MEDIA
MAR
MC
MI
MQADHAFI
MPOS
MARAD
MG
MTRE
MASC
MW
MRCRE
MP
MOPPS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MEPI
MEETINGS
MERCOSUR
MCC
MIK
MAPS
MV
MILITARY
MDC
NATO
NZ
NL
NO
NK
NU
NPT
NI
NG
NEW
NSF
NA
NPG
NSG
NE
NSSP
NS
NDP
NSC
NAFTA
NH
NV
NP
NPA
NSFO
NT
NW
NASA
NORAD
NGO
NR
NATIONAL
NIPP
NZUS
NC
NRR
NAR
NATOPREL
OEXC
OTRA
OPRC
OVIP
OAS
OECD
OIIP
OSCE
OREP
OPIC
OFDP
OMIG
ODIP
OVP
OSCI
OIC
OIE
OPDC
ON
OCII
OPAD
OBSP
OFFICIALS
OPCW
OHUM
OES
OCS
OTR
OSAC
OFDA
PGOV
PREL
PM
PHUM
PTER
PINR
PINS
PREF
PARM
PL
PK
PU
PBTS
PBIO
PHSA
PE
PO
PROP
PA
PNAT
POL
PLN
POLITICAL
PARTIES
PCUL
PAK
PGGV
PAO
PSA
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PAS
PGIV
PHUMPREL
PDOV
PHUMPGOV
PCI
PTBS
PEL
PG
POLITICS
POLICY
PINL
POGOV
POV
PRAM
PP
PREO
PAHO
PBT
PREFA
PSI
PAIGH
POSTS
PMIL
PALESTINIAN
PARMS
PROG
PTERE
PRGOV
PORG
PS
PGOF
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PPA
PINT
PMAR
PRELP
PINF
PNG
PFOR
PUNE
PGOVLO
PHUMBA
PSEPC
PNR
POLINT
PGOVE
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PDEM
PECON
PROV
PGOC
PY
PHUH
PF
PRL
PHUS
RU
RS
RO
RW
RP
RFE
REGION
REACTION
REPORT
RCMP
RM
RSO
ROBERT
RICE
RSP
RF
ROOD
RIGHTS
RIGHTSPOLMIL
RUPREL
RELATIONS
SENV
SU
SCUL
SOCI
SNAR
SL
SW
SMIG
SP
SY
SA
SHUM
SZ
SYRIA
SF
SR
SO
SPCE
SARS
SN
SC
SIPRS
SI
SYR
SEVN
SNARCS
SH
SAARC
STEINBERG
SG
SCRS
SENVKGHG
SAN
ST
SIPDIS
SNARIZ
SNARN
SSA
SK
SPCVIS
SOFA
SANC
SWE
SHI
SEN
TW
TU
TBIO
TSPL
TPHY
TRGY
TC
TT
TSPA
TINT
TERRORISM
TX
TR
TS
TN
TD
TH
TIP
TNGD
TI
TZ
TF
THPY
TP
TBID
TL
TV
TK
TO
TRSY
TURKEY
TFIN
TAGS
UN
UK
UNSC
UNGA
US
UNESCO
UP
UNHRC
UNAUS
USTR
UNDP
UNEP
UNMIK
UY
UNCHR
UNO
UG
UZ
UNPUOS
USEU
UNDC
UNICEF
UV
UNHCR
UNCND
UNCHC
UNCSD
USUN
USOAS
UNFCYP
USNC
UNIDROIT
USPS
USAID
UE
UNVIE
UAE
UNODC
UNCHS
UNFICYP
UNDESCO
UNC
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 04BOGOTA2692, GOC ANNOUNCES CAMPAIGN TO HIGHLIGHT LABOR RIGHTS
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #04BOGOTA2692.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
04BOGOTA2692 | 2004-03-02 22:05 | 2011-04-16 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Bogota |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
id: 14491
date: 3/2/2004 22:05
refid: 04BOGOTA2692
origin: Embassy Bogota
classification: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
destination: 03BOGOTA6597
header:
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
----------------- header ends ----------------
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BOGOTA 002692
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
GENEVA PLEASE PASS TO JOHN CHAMBERLIN
LABOR FOR ILAB
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB PGOV PHUM PREL CO
SUBJECT: GOC ANNOUNCES CAMPAIGN TO HIGHLIGHT LABOR RIGHTS
ADVANCES AND POLITICAL WILL
REF: A. 03 BOGOTA 6597
¶B. 03 BOGOTA 6596
¶C. 03 GENEVA 1969
This report is sensitive but unclassified. Please protect
accordingly.
-------
Summary
-------
¶1. (U) To address the international community's concerns
about human rights violations against trade union members,
Vice-President Santos briefed ambassadors of member states of
the ILO's Governing Body on GOC advances in promoting
workers' human rights and tripartite dialogue. In addition
to citing numerous dialogue and training initiatives, Santos
highlighted progress in judicial proceedings related to human
rights violations against trade unionists and cited
government statistics indicating a decline in levels of
violence against them. Diplomats present asked the GOC to do
more to publicize its efforts in this field. End Summary.
-------------------------------------
VP Briefs Ambassadors on Labor Rights
-------------------------------------
¶2. (U) In advance of this month's scheduled review of the
International Labor Organization's (ILO) Special Technical
Cooperation Program with Colombia, Vice President Francisco
Santos briefed representatives of ILO Governing Body (GB)
members on March 8. Also in attendance were Foreign Minister
Carolina Barco; Minister of Social Protection Diego Palacio;
Ministry of Social Protection (MSP) Vice Minister for Labor
Relations Luz Stella Arango; Gabriel Mesa, Director of the
MSP's Office of International Cooperation; and Ana Maria
Sanchez, Director of the MSP's Office of Human Rights.
-------
Context
-------
¶3. (U) In June 2003 the GB rejected a proposal by the ILO's
Committee on Freedom of Association (CFA) to appoint a Fact
Finding and Conciliation Commission for Colombia to address
the many murders and other human rights violations against
trade union leaders and members that remain unresolved (ref
C). The GB did, however, urge the GOC to more effectively
address cases of violence against union members and take
appropriate steps to foster an environment in which unions
can operate without fear of intimidation or reprisal. In an
effort to demonstrate its political will to address these
issues and to highlight advances made under the Special
Technical Cooperation Program, GOC officials announced the
launch of an informal campaign to raise awareness of GOC
advances in promoting and protecting the human rights of
Colombian union leaders, members, and workers in general.
-----------------------------
GOC Addressing ILO's Concerns
-----------------------------
¶4. (U) The GOC presented a report charting progress to date
on the 357 sub-cases contained within CFA Case Number 1787.
Each of these sub-cases represents a case in which the GOC
has allegedly failed to take sufficient action to investigate
and/or prosecute a murder, kidnapping, or series of threats
against a trade union member. According to the MSP, the GOC
has formally responded with a status report in 345 of the 357
sub-cases, even though only 196 of the sub-cases actually
involved union members or leaders. According to the MSP, the
majority of sub-cases are still in the investigative stage
and have not been brought to trial, largely because of
complex legal procedures, an overburdened judicial system,
and the fact that witnesses and others with information are
reluctant to work with prosecutors out of fear for their own
safety. The report notes, however, that few cases have been
formally dismissed.
--------------------------------------------
Advances Under Technical Cooperation Program
--------------------------------------------
¶5. (U) In conjunction with the Technical Cooperation Program,
the GOC has worked to strengthen tripartite dialogue through
a series of seminars, training programs, and social dialogue
boards involving GOC authorities, labor organizations, and
employers. Since its reinstatement in January 2003, the
Inter-Institutional Commission for the Promotion and
Protection of Human Rights has conducted over 40 tripartite
activities designed to strengthen communication and
cooperation, including a series of dialogues chaired by
Santos and other high-ranking GOC officials. The Commission
has also worked closely with the Ministry of Interior and
Justice (MOI/J) to increase resources and decentralize the
GOC's protection program, which provided protection to 5,221
at-risk union members, politicians, journalists, political
figures, and human rights workers in 2003. The Commission
has also provided training to protection program
administrators, local police, and judicial authorities in
order to shift the focus of the program from merely reacting
to human rights violations toward taking concrete steps to
prevent them.
¶6. (U) The MSP, in cooperation with the Office of the
Prosecutor General (Fiscalia), has conducted seminars on
international labor law for prosecutors and judges,
instructing them on the fundamentals of international labor
law and the scope of activities protected under international
humanitarian law. These programs have also urged prosecutors
to speed up investigations of human rights violations of
trade unionists. The MSP has also conducted training
programs for labor inspectors and regional employees of the
Ministry.
------------------------------
Statistics Confirm Improvement
------------------------------
¶7. (U) Santos cited MSP statistics asserting that murders of
trade unionists dropped from 120 in 2002 to 51 in 2003, a
decline of 58 percent. Santos credited the decline to
improvements in the GOC's protection program and a change in
paramilitary strategy related to ongoing demobilization
negotiations with the Government. (Note: The percentage
decline in murders of trade unionists cited by the MSP is
slightly higher than the 51 percent decline reported by the
National Labor College ("Escuela Nacional Sindical," or ENS),
a respected labor rights NGO that reported that 90 trade
unionists were murdered in 2003, compared with 184 in 2002.
Although MSP's statisticians agree that more trade unionists
were murdered than the numbers they cite, they explain that
they only cite cases in which union leaders or members are
killed because of their trade union activities. MSP did not
include, for example, cases in which unions members died as a
result of land disputes, crimes of passion, automobile
accidents, and the transport of explosive materials. End
note.)
-----------------------------------------
Santos: Information Campaign Long Overdue
-----------------------------------------
¶8. (SBU) In response to questioning, Santos confirmed that
the GOC has not done a good job of "selling its successes."
He asserted that European NGOs and parliamentarians only hear
one side of the story from a small number of left-leaning
NGOs and unions whose "destructive syndicalism" (as opposed
to "constructive syndicalism," in which unions, employers,
and the government work together) is bent on damaging the
credibility of the GOC. Santos asked those present to
support GOC efforts to portray the "full picture."
--------------------------------------------- -----
GOC Looking Forward, Focusing on Europe and Geneva
--------------------------------------------- -----
¶9. (U) FM Barco announced her plans to travel to Europe in
the near future to meet with a key group of Colombian
ambassadors to develop a strategy to communicate the GOC's
advances in protecting and promoting workers' human rights.
This strategy will focus on changing perceptions of
Colombia's labor environment among key NGOs,
parliamentarians, opinion leaders, and foreign unions. In
order to highlight a "new sense of cooperation" between labor
unions and the GOC, MSP is working with Colombia's three
major labor federations -- the United Workers Central (CUT),
the General Federation of Democratic Workers (CGTD) and the
Confederation of Colombian Workers (CTC) -- on a proposal to
deliver a joint report to the ILO's Freedom of Association
Committee in June. The report would attempt to present a
consensus perspective on the labor environment, but would
acknowledge points of disagreement as well.
-------------------------
Reaction: GOC Can Do More
-------------------------
¶10. (SBU) Although generally supportive of the GOC's plan,
many attendees noted that improved statistics and a status
report alone would not be enough to satisfy the concerns of
the international community. Noting that the majority of
union members are detained for reasons other than trade union
activities, the UK Ambassador asked the GOC to provide
regular, public updates on high-profile detentions to explain
what motivated them. Santos stated that the majority of
detainees are charged with rebellion and that arrest warrants
have been issued prior to all detentions. The attendees
agreed that similar updates on GOC responses to alleged human
rights violations committed against trade unionists and other
at-risk groups would be useful. The German CDA observed that
the fact that only four percent of the Colombian labor force
is unionized will limit the scope of what the GOC can
accomplish through traditional tripartite mechanisms.
-------
Comment
-------
¶11. (U) The GOC's democratic security policy and
GOC/paramilitary demobilization negotiations have led to a
significant reduction in violence, including against trade
union members. Vice-President Santos and the MSP's
commitment to improving the GOC's relationship with
Colombia's trade unions is evident in their efforts to
advance legal cases related to violence against trade union
leaders, improve tripartite dialogue, and protect and promote
trade union members' human rights.
WOOD
=======================CABLE ENDS============================