Colombia

By Pablo Velasco Colombian oil workers halt privatisation: solidarity works! "Massive summer strikes" planned in Korea ANC against anti-privatisation activists Argentine workers fight for a six-hour day Colombian oil workers halt privatisation: solidarity works! Colombian oil workers have won their struggle against privatisation, thanks to their resolute strike action backed up by international solidarity. In the last issue of Solidarity we reported on how the Colombian government was trying to break the month-long strike at Ecopetrol, the national oil company, using military force. The Uribe...

One of the fiercest debates at the Irish Social Forum (see page 6) was about the decision of University College Dublin's student union to boycott Coke in protest at the company's alleged links with far right paramilitaries in Colombia. Activists say a number of trade union activists in the company's plants have been murdered, many local union organisations have been destroyed, under threat from paramilitary organistions. Following a call by the Colombian trade union SINALTRAINAL, the leaders of UCD SU (mostly members of Labour Youth or the ex-SWP group Socialist Alternative) organised a...

by Pablo Velasco Oscar Olivera wins case Urgent appeal for Chinese workers' leaders P Diddy uses sweatshops Brazilian car workers walk out Korean workers' demonstrations Colombian Coca Cola worker visit Oscar Olivera wins case Bolivian workers' leader Oscar Olivera has won his fight against victimisation. Oscar is the secretary of the Federation of Factory Workers of Cochabamba, and works at the Manaco Footwear Company. He is a locally elected union leader who gets his regular salary and benefits from the company while performing full-time union work. He is also a leader of struggles against...

by Pablo Velasco Indonesian party fights for legal recognition Hong Kong: Article 23 postponed Korean unions to stand in parliamentary elections Yale University strike General strike in Bangladesh Colombian Coca-Cola workers face the sack Indonesian party fights for legal recognition The Party of United People's Opposition (POPOR) in Indonesia is fighting to be registered as a legal political party in time for next year's elections. To be granted legal recognition the party, which includes socialists and trade unionists and is led by Dita Sari, must prove that it has branches in at least half...

By Mark Osborn The Colombia Solidarity Campaign (CSC) has called a big protest in London, 22 July, to mark an international day of action against Coca Cola (6pm, Piccadilly Circus). The CSC says: “The World Social Forum has declared 22 July as the International Day of Action against Coca Cola and the start of a year-long boycott of their products, in solidarity with Sinaltrainal, the Colombian food and drink workers’ union. “The union has suffered the assassination of eight of their leaders, killed by death squads hired by Coca Cola’s management, since 1990. The union has also seen the...