Call goes out for solidarity with striking Colombian palm oil workers

[Omaha Steve]

http://peoplesworld.org/call-goes-out-for-solidarity-with-striking-colombian-palm-oil-workers/

by: IUF
October 28 2011



(IUF) Thousands of palm oil workers in the Puerto Wilches district of Colombia are now on a general strike to defend collective bargaining and oppose the spread of casualization and precarious work on palm oil farms.

Their dispute dates back to early August when a major company, Palmas Oleaginosas Bucarelia, refused to enter into meaningful negotiations with the international union of food, agriculture and hospitality workers, IUF, -affiliated SINTRAINAGRO for the renewal of the collective agreement.

Bucarelia instead proposed to cut benefits, to restrict union activity on the farm and to increase precarious work through more use of Associated Labour Cooperatives (Cooperativas de Trabajo Asociado (CTAs - see below). At the end of August, Bucarelia workers decided to call a strike and set up a protest camp in front of the company.

SINTRAINAGRO asked Colombia's Ministry of Social Protection to intervene to try to resolve the dispute and on Sept. 6, the ministry called a tripartite meeting to analyze the conflict and to explore possible ways forward. The IUF's regional office, REL-UITA and the Colombian trade union confederation, CUT were also invited to the meeting.

FULL story at link.

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