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Columbian Trade Unionist in Derry Thursday 16th Sandinos 5.30pm

Monday 13th June 2005

A Colombian trade union leader will speak in Derry this week on the fight to make poverty history in the embattled Latin American country.

Juan Carlos Galvis, the Human Rights Director of the Colombian Food and Drink Workers' Union, Sinaltrainal, will be speaking at Sandinos in Water Street at 5.30 on Thursday 16th afternoon. Senor Galvis will be stopping in Derry on his way to take part in the "G8 Alternative Summit" in Scotland in early July.

The meeting has been organised by the local Making Poverty History group, which is organising a Derry contingent to travel to the demonstrations in Scotland.

Senor Galvis, who will be on his first visit to Europe, is based in Barrancabermeja, Colombia's principle oil port and the scene of a series of attacks and assassinations of trade union and other opposition officials. There has been a particularly bitter dispute over the unionisation of the local Coca Cola plant and allegations that the plant's need to extract large quantities of water from local resources every day has been damaging the environment of indigenous peoples.

Senon Galvis is one of the plaintiffs in a court case against Coca-Cola in Miami, in which the company stands accused of complicity in the murder of eight trade unionists.

Said a spokesman for the Derry Making Poverty History group: "We often see the poor of the world as passive victims needing our charity. But in Latin America, as in Africa, millions of the poor and downtrodden are fighting back.

"Colombia is a country torn apart by political violence for many years. It is experiencing the worst human rights abuses in the continent---a majority of them carried out by forces allied to the State. It also suffers some of the deepest and most widespread poverty, despite Colombia being rich in natural resources. To trade unionists like Juan Carlos, the fight for human rights and economic change and the fight against poverty are one and the same thing.

"We invite all who support the broad campaign to make poverty history, as well as trade union activists and human rights campaigners, to come along to Sandino's at 5.30 on Thursday and hear first hand of the struggles of our brothers and sisters in Colombia.





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