More than 40 trade unionists have been killed this year in Colombia by para-military death squads. Every day, more union activists are threatened with death by these forces, who carry out the orders of big business and the political establishment.
On Aug. 31, Jairo del Rio, the president of SINTRATUCAR (the union representing workers at the Tenaris steel tube company in Cartagena) and a member of the Socialist Workers Party (Colombian section of the International Workers League), received a written message threatening death to him, his wife, and children. The message said in part: “We would remind you that in this country guerrilla communists like you and your group die fast, so you better stop interfering in things that are not your business.”
The following day, the union vice president, Deivis Blanco, received a similar note. The union is pushing for work stoppages of a few hours in response to the threats. International solidarity with these union activists is extremely important.
E-mail: Mr. Ruben Fidalgo, Gen. Manager, Tubos del Caribe Tenaris S.A., rfidalgo@tenaris.com. Copies: Alavaro Uribe Velez, president of Colombia, auribe@presidencia.gov.co, and sintratucar@gmail.com. More information: http://www.litci.org.
