OPSEU Colombia Solidarity Archive 2007 - 2010
November 29, 2010 Come out to hear two leaders of the ONIC speak about this courageous campaign for survival and dignity and how
you can support it. More…
 June 2, 2010 OPSEU has learned from Amnesty International that on July 21 a shot was fired through a window into the office of Justicia y Vida (Justice and Life) where Colombian Human Rights activist, Lilia Solana carries out her courageous work. Fortunately no-one was hurt. OPSEU members and staff visited this office in August 2009. more..
June 2, 2010 A human rights side-agreement to the
Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (Bill C-2), developed by Liberal trade
critic Scott Brison over steak dinner with his Colombian counterpart and tabled
by the Conservatives in the House of Commons, is toothless, insufficient, and
would allow the Colombian government to assess its own human rights violations,
says the Council of Canadians. more..
May
10, 2010 The federal government has moved to shut down hearings at the
Committee on International Trade on the legislation to implement the
Canada-Colombia free trade deal. The Committee has yet to hear from a long list
of expert witnesses – including OPSEU and NUPGE – and many others who know what
is really happening in Colombia on human rights abuses and attacks on trade
unionists. more..
Corporate violence or human rights – Which
should Canada champion in Colombia?
April 6, 2010 Come to
the Canada-Colombia panel discussion in Toronto
April 8th
more...
March 29, 2010 Over 30 vocal supporters turned out for a noon-time rally outside of Bob Rae’s Constituency Office today.
more...
March 29, 2010 A late night Liberal-Conservative deal
concocted to try to force the Canada-Colombia free trade agreement through
parliament is an insult to Canadian and Colombian civil society.
more...
Free trade deal will not
lead to democracy in Colombia, say Canadian
election monitors.
March 18,
2010 Canadians who
were part of an international election
monitoring mission to Colombia have confirmed
that a free trade deal
will not guarantee
democracy in Colombia and
question whether May’s presidential vote can be
free and fair.
more…
Corporate violence or human rights – Which
should Canada champion in Colombia?
March 18, 2010 Come to
the Canada-Colombia panel discussion in Toronto
April 8th
Download flyer
OPSEU to participate in the National Film Board
Screening of the “Coca Cola Case”
November 24, 2009 News
Release The Coca-Cola Case is a film about the
rampant human rights abuses by the Coca-Cola
Corporation in factories, sugar cane fields and
small communities across the developing world.
more…
United Nations Expert confirms Colombian activists
still face killings and torture.
September 23, 2009 Colombian
activists still face killings and torture, despite
progress - UN expert
more...
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OPSEU in Colombia
Read an account of OPSEU's Aug. 18 - Sept. 2 2009
Colombia Solidarity Tour in our Colombia Solidarity blog. |
All four Canadian Public Sector Unions oppose the
Canada Colombia Free Trade Agreement
September 14, 2009 NUPGE, PSAC,
CUPE and CUPW today released a joint statement stating
that they are “incensed” at the Harper government’s
attempt to ram the Canada Colombia Free Trade Agreement
through parliament this week. In 2008 these four unions
sent a joint delegation down to Colombia and just as
OPSEU’s recent delegation concluded, Canada must reject
Bill C23 and put human lives before free trade.
This year alone, 27 trade unionists and 77 indigenous
leaders have been murdered and to pass this deal would
mean legitimizing the Uribe regime.
Click here to see the joint statement …
OPSEU in Columbia
September 11, 2009 Colombia is a country where trade unionists and human rights defenders are killed on a daily basis – just for performing what we would consider normal activities. OPSEU recently sent a
delegation to Colombia to examine the situation and to provide support to those who are fighting for social justice in that country. While there we met with unions, indigenous groups, women’s groups, progressive Senators, human rights groups, and mothers whose innocent sons had been deliberately killed and dressed up as guerrillas by the army. OPSEU now stands by its decision to stop the Canada Colombia Free Trade Agreement – a position supported by the Canadian labour Congress and its affiliates as well as many other Canadian non-governmental organizations.
Stop the Canada Colombia Free Trade Agreement Now!
Download this
letter-sized PDF for full details.
International Labour Update:
Canadians must continue the
pressure on Harper not to sign a free trade
agreement with Colombia. On June 10,
president Uribe of Colombia is coming to
Ottawa to meet with Harper. The CLC,
NUPGE and other unions will protest this
latest move to wrap up this deadly deal
colombia_protest_eng.pdf
colombia_protest_fr.pdf
Urgent call to stop Bill C-23 - bill to
implement Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement
May 25, 2009 OPSEU calls
on members to step up e-mail and letter writing
campaign to stop the Canadian government from
pushing through this agreement.
more...
Help stop the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Deal !
April 7, 2009 On March 26,
2009, the Harper government introduced legislation
to implement the Canada Colombia Free Trade Deal
despite widespread opposition from union and
non-governmental organizations in Canada as well as
social movements in Colombia itself.
more...
CLC calls on union members to keep up the pressure to stop the
Canada - Colombia Trade Deal
March 4, 2009
Click here for a
petition to the House of Commons.... Print the petition and collect
signatures which can then be sent directly to the CLC International
Department, 2841 Riverside Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1J 8X7. From there
the CLC will send them to MP Peter Julian's office.
If you want any comics, please contact
Nicki Hockman (nhockman@clc-ctc.ca
) and let her know how many and the address to send them.
Colombian Unions denounce trade agreements with Colombia.
February 24, 2009 The Colombia-Canada FTA was signed behind the backs of the
Colombian people, without any real participation from Civil Society and without
any study on its impact. This is something that should be made clear to the
Canadian Parliament
more...
Death threats way of life for Colombian unionists
 February
17, 2009
A delegation of unionists told a gathering at OPSEU head office that
the recent Canada-Colombia free trade agreement could further
inflame the situation because multinational corporations always have
army and paramilitary support to exploit the working people.
more...
Colombian leaders expose the dangers of the Canada Colombia Free
Trade Agreement
February 11, 2009 Four leaders of key
Colombian social movements are currently touring Eastern Canada and
Quebec to inform Canadians of the human rights impacts of the Free
Trade agreement signed by Canada and Colombia last fall. Their
organizations, which include unions, womens groups, churches and
faith groups, represent almost two million people and are part of a
Coalition of Social Movements (COMOSOC). Events will be held
in Toronto and Hamilton.
more...
Toronto Rally in solidarity with Colombian workers
October 27, 2008 An emergency picket was held on
Oct. 23 in front of the Colombian Consulate in Toronto
pictures and more...
Take action in support of Colombian trade unionists
In celebration
of Labour Day and in response to
an alarming increase in
the number of assassinations of
trade unionists in Colombia this
year -- 41 so far -- Amnesty
International Canada has
prepared a new online action on
behalf of Javier Correa and
other trade unionists at risk in
Colombia. You can find it at
here
Javier Correa is
a leader with SINALTRAINAL, the
union behind the Coca Cola
campaigning that OPSEU supports.
This action is in the form of an
e-petition and is quick and
easy. OPSEU members don't have
to write their own letter,
although they can add a comment,
should they wish to. Once you
have signed the petition, you
can forward a message to other
colleagues, friends or family,
encouraging them to sign the
petition as well.
Over a thousand people people
have signed the petition to date
Rally in solidarity with Colombian workers
May 5, 2008 On Thursday May
8, the Toronto and District Labour Council will be
part of a protest rally as the Vice-President of
Colombia visits Toronto.
More...
Opposition grows
against Colombia
Free Trade Agreement
April 18, 2008
Organizations and
individuals
concerned about the
grave human rights
situation facing
Colombians of
African descent
oppose the
U.S.-Colombia FTA.
More...
Online mobilization to
protest trade unionist’s murder
in Colombia
April 4,
2008 It has been nearly a
month since the murder of
Leonidas Gomez Rozo, a leader of
the National Union of Bank
Workers of Colombia. His murder
in early March was one of
several violent attacks against
trade unionists in that country.
Next week, trade unionists are
asked to send messages of
protest.
more...
Thomas expresses concerns for
safety of unionists in Colombia
March 28, 2008
In a letter to Colombia President
Alvaro Uribe, OPSEU President Thomas
protests human rights violations
against unions and other groups in
Colombia. Read
letter and
background Attacks on peasant leaders in Colombia continue
January 21, 2008 Solidarity
committees in Colombia are denouncing the forced
disappearance of a peasant leader in an area near key
oil fields. more...
Human rights rhetoric contradicted by rush for Colombia
trade pact
November 22, 2007 Despite death
squads, Harper government set to endorse Uribe government
with deal more...
Why a Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement is a Big Mistake
November 8, 2007 The Canadian Labour
Congress invites you to send a Sign –on letter to Prime Minister
Stephen Harper to express your view on this matter.
more...
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