Pre-meditated murder of Guatemalan banana workers' leader (CSI/ITUC/Labour
Start)
Oct. 4, 2007: The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has
condemned the brutal murder of Marco Tulio Ramirez Portela, Secretary of
Culture and Sports of the Guatemalan Banana Workers Union of Izabal, SITRABI.
He was gunned down outside his home by masked men carrying high calibre
weapons as he was leaving for work at 5.45 on the morning of Sunday, Sept.
23
The ITUC recently protested about the forced entry into SITRABI's premises
by five soldiers from the Guatemalan army at the end of July. They demanded
the names of union leaders, the size of its membership and the nature of its
activities.
SITRABI complained about this incident to the authorities and only last week
had a meeting at the Ministry of Defence who promised there would be an
“internal investigation”. Just five days later, Marco Tulio Ramirez was
murdered, in what was clearly a targeted attack.
His killing is one in a long line of attacks on trade unionists, as detailed
in the recently published annual survey of violations of trade union rights.
After the threats, attacks and intimidation of trade unionists in 2006,
events took a sinister turn in January 2007 with the murder of the dock
workers' leader Pedro Zamora.
“The climate of killing and impunity in Guatemala must be brought to an
end”, said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder. “Once again, a trade union
representative has been brutally murdered simply due to his legitimate work
in support of the rights of working people”, he added.
Founded Nov. 1 2006, the ITUC represents 168 million workers in 153
countries and territories and has 305 national affiliates.
For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on +32 2 224
0204 or +32 476 621 018.
e-mail : tur@ituc-csi.org ou turights@ituc-csi.org
Take action: Marco Tulio's murderers are benefiting from a culture of
impunity in Guatemala. Those behind the murder are convinced that few will
have heard his name and fewer still will have raised their voices in
protest.
Unions across Latin America have raised the cry -- "¡Basta de impunidad en
Guatemala!" Unions around the world -- your union -- must take up this
slogan as well.
Please, take a few seconds and go to this link -- send the strongest
possible message to the authorities in Guatemala.
www.labourstart.org
www.ituc-csi.org/
