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Montevideo, 03 September
2009
Mr. President of Colombia
Dr. Álvaro Uribe
Palacio de Nariño
Bogota – Colombia
Dear Sir,
Our International Organization wishes to let you
know our deep concern and contempt for the
anti-union situation in the Doña Francia,
Santamaría del Monte and El Chispero
plantations, all of them owned by JAIME
ALBERTO ORTIZ FRANCO.
This entrepreneur has also been trying to ignore
the agreements of the last COLLECTIVE
BARGAINING AGREEMENT subscribed by and
between SINTRAINAGRO and the Bargaining
Committee appointed by the corporate members of
AUGURA on May 29 last.
The IUF and a significant number of
banana company owners of Urabá are discussing
the implementation of "Social Quality
Labelling" as an acknowledgment that the
banana production of this region is carried out
under “Decent Work” conditions and to let
consumers know that all workers are covered by
the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Our proposal is to make a difference between
this production and that of other Latin American
regions where most workers are not unionized and
lack the social and economic benefits of a
Collective Agreement.
The complex situation in the plantations
belonging to Mr. JAIME ALBERTO ORTIZ FRANCO
ruins years of work to build a social dialogue
in labor relations in the region, held up as a
model by the International Labor Organization (ILO)
itself.
This is why the situation in the plantations of
JAIME ALBERTO ORTIZ FRANCO is a concern
for us and we cannot let him damage --with his
anti-union and anti-democratic attitude-- the
image and potential of Uraba bananas abroad.
The IUF wishes to keep supporting the
certification of fruits from Uraba and
deepen social development resulting from
constructive and sensitive dialogue between the
Union and most company owners.
Mr Presidente, the IUF requests your
prompt action so that the anti-union policies of
ORTIZ FRANCO do not prosper, since they
are an attack to the good faith and the scope of
the COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT IN FORCE. Thus we will
be able to go on working smoothly to favor the
welfare of all long suffering inhabitants of
Urabá.
Yours sincerely,
Gerardo Iglesias
IUF Regional Secretary
c/c
Ministry of Social
Protection | ILO | CUT | IUF - Geneva | AUGURA |
UNAC | SINTRAINAGRO
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