Whatever it takes

“We are calling on all our branches to affiliate to Justice for Colombia, we are calling on all our branches to support their region in affiliating to Justice for Colombia,” says Tony Woodhouse, chair of Unite’s executive council.

He’s clear that doing so can literally be a matter of life and death in a country where atrocities are taking place against trade unionists every day of the week.

“Colombia is not only the worst place in the world to be a trade unionist, it’s the worst place in the world to be poor, worst place in the world to be if you are lesbian and gay,” Woodhouse says.

“We will support them whatever it takes. The atrocities include people being kidnapped, being killed, being jailed, lesbian and gay people being killed. No-one is safe over there, if you are poor, if you are a trade unionist or an indigenous person,” Woodhouse adds.

It’s impossible to argue with that assessment, given that nearly a quarter of a million people have been killed in the country in five decades of conflict. Three thousand trade unionists have been murdered in the last 25 years, with an entire left-wing political party wiped out in the 1980s.

As Mariella Kohon, from the Justice for Colombia campaign says, “the military and business elite and landowners set up right-wing paramilitary death squads to carry out the worst abuses.

“The conflict basically is rooted in inequality, you have got huge percentages of people living in poverty and a tiny percentage of people with most of the wealth.

“So historically you have had a huge amount of inequality and a lack of democracy. Any opposition to that inequality that has tried to organise itself politically and democratically has been wiped out. The left, the unions – anyone who’s organised – has been targeted. You have got an economic model which has exacerbated the inequalities.

“Five million people have been pushed off their land to make way for oil, mining and mass agro industry. So you have millions of people living in shanty towns on the outskirts of the main cities,” she adds.

Under serious threat

Even now, with peace talks between the government and the Farc rebel group at an advanced stage, trade unionists are under serious threat, as Kohon, explains.

“Literally people there are being targeted there for what we do as trade unionists here every day,” she says.

“You look at the threats and the killings and it all correlates to industrial action. Someone is on strike, they end up in prison, someone is negotiating, they are sent a death threat.”

Unite is not only trying to raise awareness of horrific human rights abuses and injustices in the South American country, but generate funding which will allow campaigners time and space to get on with their work.

Woodhouse calls this funding “crucial” because “it helps save lives.” He’s now demanding action from regions, branches and individual members alike.

Affiliate now call

“Each region has agreed to give £5000 to carry on the human rights fund for Colombia,” he says. “This fund is a Unite regional fund, which the chairs are involved in. The regions have agreed to do everything they can to get their branches affiliated.”

His target is getting 50 per cent of branches affiliated, his message is clear. “By affiliating to the fund you will be helping our comrades in dire need.

“Justice for Colombia and Unite has a tremendous amount of work to do to help in the fight against the atrocities that are taking place over there. We need branches and individuals to affiliate. All Unite regions are fully on board with this.”

As Kohon points out the JFC campaign is, “purely trade unions funded. We were founded by the TUC and a group of unions specifically because Colombia is the place in the world where most trade unionists get killed. So it’s the only way we can survive – we are part of the trade union movement, we are not an NGO.”

Huber Ballesteros

Unite’s sister union, Fensuagro – the agricultural workers union – has had one thousand members killed and dozens imprisoned, most notably Huber Ballesteros, the union’s vice president. He was jailed in 2013 on trumped up charges while leading a major strike.

Ballesteros is a figure of major standing who, despite being a diabetic and suffering poor prison conditions, remains unbowed according to Kohon.

“He’s incredibly effective, he’s done an amazing job organising and is recognised as a national figure, so his imprisonment has been a big blow to a lot of people.

“Whilw he’s been in prison he’s been incredibly active, he’s organised lots of prisoners, he’s constantly writing articles – he’s not defeated in any way. But all the way along his case has been mired in irregularities,” she says.

Ballesteros – who has said “Unite’s solidarity has helped us save the lives of many of our members” – is due to see his case come to trial soon. But he has had many hearings delayed in the past.

It seems Colombia is again at a crossroads. The peace process is finely balanced after three years of negotiations. Many on the Left all too well aware of the bloodshed in the 1980s after the Farc entered the political process as the Patriotic Union.

In the meantime, as Woodhouse says, “We must stand together, all Unite branches, and affiliate to this campaign, to help our brothers and sisters in their fight against this terrible injustice.”

For more please contact Justice for Colombia on 020 7324 2490

Pic of Mariella Kohon and Tony Woodhouse by Mark Thomas