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05 Aug 08
Dripa BDuring a recent meeting with Fabio Valencio, Colombia’s Minister of the Interior, in Bogotá the President of Canada’s largest union said he fully grasped the dangerous nature of a free trade deal between the two countries.
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"Our overwhelming conclusion is that a free trade agreement will not help the Colombian people," said the Canadian labour leaders
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"Our overwhelming conclusion is that a free trade agreement will not help the Colombian people," said the Canadian labour leaders in a statement.
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95 percent of Colombian workers do not have an enforceable collective agreement
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While Colombia is a signatory to International Labour Organization (ILO) protocols which should guarantee workers the right to organise independent trade unions, the protocols have not been codified into domestic legalisation
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Even a decade ago, most of Colombia’s 22,000 cane workers were unionised, according to Moist. Today, the industry has been contracted out and workers receive less money per pound of cane than they did ten years ago.
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"Colombia imposes tariffs averaging 11 percent on industrial goods, 17 percent on agricultural and 15 to 20 percent on cotton yarns and paper products," said Thomas d'Aquino, leader of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) in a May presentation to a parliamentary committee. "The elimination of these tariffs would greatly benefit Canada," said d’Aquino.
In particular, politically influential Canadian mining firms want access to the vast natural wealth under Colombia’s soil. "The proposed agreement would benefit companies and workers in a wide range of industries, including the automotive sector, steel, chemicals, public infrastructure development, oil drilling… mining and advanced manufacturing such as mining machinery and equipment," d’Aquino told Canadian politicians.
While a lack of collective bargaining rights may hurt average workers, foreign interests seem content with the current labour situation in Colombia. "No Canadian mining operations are unionised in Colombia," says Moist.
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