From: SIUHIN@aol.com
Date: Tue Oct 08 2002 - 18:35:28 EDT
Coca-cola Union in Guatemala Threatened
Date: 10/8/2002 3:14:31 PM Pacific Daylight Time
From: <A HREF="mailto:list-owner@campaignforlaborrights.org">list-owner@campaignforlaborrights.org</A>
ONE SUGGESTION: DON'T DRINK COCA-COLA!
Labor Alerts (12,000 subscribers)
a service of Campaign for Labor Rights
202-544-9355
www.campaignforlaborrights.org
<><><><><>
Posted October 8, 2002
In this Alert:
1. Coca-cola Union in Guatemala Threatened
2. Fighting to Keep Their Rights
3. PANAMCO, Coke in Colombia
4. Take Action Now!
[Information in this Alert provided by US/LEAP,
www.usleap.org]
<><><><><>
COCA-COLA UNION IN GUATEMALA THREATENED
The historic Coca-Cola union in Guatemala, STECSA, is
deadlocked in negotiations over demands that would erode
the conditions currently protected by the existing
collective agreement. Eight union leaders are facing
firings, which is in violation of the current contract.
The company, PANAMCO, an anchor bottler of Coca-Cola, is
also threatening the union?s legal right to strike and
Coca-Cola is threatening to sue the union.
STECSA emerged from a violent struggle in the 1980?s,
which included surviving systematic extermination of its
elected leadership. The struggle received support from
human rights and worker rights supporters across the
United States and Europe and succeeded in forcing
Coca-Cola to take responsibility for respect for worker
rights in the Embotelladora Central plant, which led to
the successful formation of the union and the settling of
a collective bargaining agreement. STECSA and the
international fight supporting it became an inspiration
and model for international solidarity.
<><><><><>
FIGHTING TO KEEP THEIR RIGHTS
The union and PANAMCO have been in negotiations for a new
contract since February 2001. The union has battled
proposals by the company that would substantially reduce
the rights and benefits previously won by the union.
Throughout the negotiations, the workers have suffered
intimidation tactics including illegal reductions of
salary, wage suspensions, and neglect of machinery
maintenance that creates an unsafe working environment.
PANAMCO, a bottling company that bottles exclusively for
Coca-Cola in plants across Central America, Venezuela, and
Mexico, took over the ownership of the Embotelladora
Central plant in 1998 and the union has had problems with
the company ever since. Coca-Cola owns about a fourth of
PANAMCO?s stock and controls the beverage formula and
label.
Recently, the negotiations have become deadlocked over
core contract demands, including the right to grievance
procedures. In an intimidation tactic, the company has
initiated legal proceedings that would allow the firings
of eight union leaders claiming these workers have been
absent from work. The current contract provides time off
of work for these leaders to do union business, which is
the reason for their absences. When the union declared it
would strike over the firing of these leaders, PANAMCO
filed a court action asking that STECSA be denied the
right to conduct a legal strike, alleging that the
workers' vote authorizing strike action should have
included confidential and management employees. This is a
blatant attempt to interfere with the union?s legal right
to strike.
In another intimidation tactic, on September 19, 2002, the
Coca-Cola company?s lawyers threatened to sue STECSA for
using the Coke decal in a sticker produced by the union
that advocates for the right to strike. The company is
citing violation of intellectual property rights. The
sticker reads, ?Yes to the Strike! --- Coca-Cola union ---
Yes to the Strike!? The company insists that the union
immediately stop using the sticker with the Coca-Cola
decal or face litigation.
STECSA and the International Union of Foodworkers (IUF),
the secretariat to which the union is affiliated, are
calling for international support for this historic union.
Sample letters can be found on the IUF website at
www.iuf.org.
<><><><><>
PANAMCO, Coke in Colombia
Guatemala isn?t the only place where workers are facing
anti-union repression by Coca-Cola and PANAMCO.
SINALTRAINAL, the Coca-Cola union in Colombia, is suing
PANAMCO and Coca-Cola alleging that local management has
used paramilitaries to crush Coca-Cola unions with
threats, kidnappings, and murder. The suit has been filed
in the U.S. by the International Labor Rights Fund and the
United Steelworkers of America. The IUF and the Teamsters
have called on Coca-Cola to negotiate and sign a global
worker rights agreement that would cover all of
Coca-Cola?s operations, including bottlers.
<><><><><>
TAKE ACTION NOW!
~ Contact Coca-Cola: Remind Coca-Cola of the international
fight for STECSA and worker rights in the 1980?s. Notify
the company of your knowledge of the threats to the basic
rights of the historic STECSA union. Urge Coca-Cola to
take responsibility for the conduct of its bottlers and
intervene effectively with PANAMCO to respect worker
rights. Also urge the company to take every step possible
to ensure that no further violence occurs against Coke
workers in Colombia. Ask Coke to take a global stand for
respect for worker rights by negotiating a global worker
rights agreement wit the IUF and its unions.
Contact: Mr. Douglas Daft, Chief Executive Officer, The
Coca-Cola Company, One Coca-Cola Plaza, Atlanta, GA 30313.
Tel: 404-676-2121; Fax: 404-515-7099.
~ Contact Panamco in Guatemala: Contact the company to
express your concern over the treatment of the STECSA
union and demand the company 1) withdraw the dismissal
cases against the eight local union representatives 2)
show a willingness to reach a fair settlement in the
negotiations with STECSA which fully respects the rights
achieved by the union through previous collective
bargaining processes (often conducted in extremely
difficult and dangerous circumstances); and 3) stop
interfering with the workers' constitutional right to
democratically decide on whether or not to take strike
action if required.
Contact: Mr. Carlos EduardoTrigueros, Panamco Beverage
Inc. Fax: 011-502 442 0966; E-mail: panamco@sinfo.net
<><><><><>
*To Translate this page to Arabic, please visit ajeeb.com:
http://tarjim.ajeeb.com/ajeeb/default.asp?lang=1
*To Translate this page to French, Spanish, German, Italian or Portuguese,
please visit Systran:
http://www.systransoft.com/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------
Peace, No War
War is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate
Information for antiwar movements, news across the World, please visit:
http://www.PeaceNoWar.net
Please Join PeaceNoWar Listserv, send e-mail to:
mailto:peacenowar-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
ActionLA
Action for World Liberation Everyday!
URL: http://www.ActionLA.org
e-mail: ActionLA@ActionLA.org
Please join our ActionLA Listserv
go to: http://lists.riseup.net/www/subscribe/actionla
or send e-mail to: actionla-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
---------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------
US-Mexico Border Actions
No Militarization of Borders! Support Immigrant Rights!
e-mail: borderactions@aol.com
PLease subscribe Border Information listserv, send e-mail to:
Border01-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Mon Oct 28 2002 - 02:52:34 EST