Colombia's 'other coke' problem

[Michael Pugliese <debsian@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

  Do a google search on Guatemala and Coca-Cola and union, and you will find
same death squadistra activity there in the 90's.
Michael Pugliese

San Francisco Chronicle
  July 30, 2001


URL:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/0
7/30/ED213030.DTL

Colombia's 'other coke' problem

  THE UNITED STEELWORKERS of America and an American labor rights group have
  filed a suit in the United States accusing Coca-Cola and other bottlers of
  using right-wing paramilitary groups to intimidate and assassinate
Colombian
  labor organizers. Coca-Cola has denied these accusations.
  Someone, however, is killing labor organizers in Colombia. Last year, 130
  union members were slain. This year, 67 union members have already been
  murdered.

  Colombian human rights groups say that the United Self-Defense Forces of
  Colombia, a paramilitary group, is responsible for these deaths.
Intimidation
  takes many forms. After the death of one labor organizer, a plant manager
  handed out union resignation forms. Workers have gotten the message. From
a
  high of 1,300 members in 1993, the number of union workers at Coke plants
has
  dropped to 450 in 2001.

  In Colombia, as in the United States, workers enjoy a legal right
  to organize. But when they do, they face grave threats.

  This is a serious violation of human rights, one that Congress
  should consider before sending additional military aid to a government
that can't -- or won't   -- control its paramilitary forces.

  ©2001 San Francisco Chronicle