Buenaventura will suffer from US-Colombia FTA: NGO

[Judi Lynn]

Buenaventura will suffer from US-Colombia FTA: NGO
Wednesday, 07 September 2011 18:09 Travis Mannon

The people of Buenaventura, Colombia's most important port city, will most likely suffer from the passage of the free trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and Colombia, according to a human rights NGO.

A Senior Associate for Colombia from the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), Gimena Sanchez-Garzoli, explained that passing the FTA would have devastating effects on the port city. "The FTA may only exacerbate the inequality and poverty in Colombian municipalities like Buenaventura," said Sanchez.

Sanchez told Colombia Reports that the FTA will "help consolidate a labor structure that is already in place that doesn't allow people to freely associate and unionize."

According to the human rights activist, the Colombian Port Authority was privatized in 1994 and replaced by the Regional Port Society of Buenaventura. The private port authority hires workers from individual contractors and associative labor cooperatives (CTA), which allow them to hire workers without offering them contracts or benefits.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/18845-buenaventura-will-suffer-from-us-colombia-fta-ngo.html