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Urgent action issued after Colombian trade unionist murdered

Trade union member Oscar López Triviño, who worked for Nestlé, was killed on 9 November in Bugalagrande, south-western Colombia. One day earlier, paramilitaries sent a death threat to members of the union to which he belongs.  Other members of the union are still at risk.

Bogota (15 Nov. 2013) - The South American country of Colombia remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a trade union activist.  The recent murder of Oscar López Triviño is but further proof of this fact.  The International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) is asking that letters be sent to Colombian authorities condemning the assassination and demanding justice (click here).  

Murder follows day after threats to union

The International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) reports that on 9 November, a man shot and killed Oscar López Triviño in a billiard hall in Bugalagrande, Valle del Cauca Department.  Oscar López Triviño worked for Nestlé and was a member of the Bugalagrande branch of the National Union of Food Industry Workers (Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Industria de Alimentos, SINALTRAINAL).  

On 8 November, the paramilitary group Los Urabeños sent a death threat by SMS to the phones of José Onofre Esquivel Luna and Álvaro Varela Pérez, who are both leaders of the Bugalagrande branch of SINALTRAINAL and work for Nestlé.

The death threat read: “Guerrilla fighters [SOB] you continue to mess with Nestlé [,] no more forgiveness [,] we will cut you up [,] death to all communists of SINALTRAINAL Urabeños” (guerrilleros hp siguen jodiendo a Nestlé no mas perdón los picaremos muerte a todos los comunistas de Sinaltrainal Urabeños).

The Amnesty International report on the murder can be read here.

Nestlé factory works on hunger strike

Members of SINALTRAINAL have been on hunger strike since 5 November in front of the Nestlé factory in Bugalagrande. They have been demanding that various agreements made with the company are respected. Initially the hunger strike was to start on October 10th but had to be stopped after a few hours due to threats.

Since its creation in 1982, members of SINALTRAINAL have received repeated death threats from paramilitaries and more than 20 members of SINALTRAINAL have been killed. According to the trade union, 13 of those killed had worked for Nestlé. Nestlé has previously denied any link to paramilitary violence. However, Nestlé does have a duty to assist the authorities in undertaking full and impartial investigations into the latest killing and threats and to call on the authorities to undertake such action, as a means to guarantee the safety of the trade union members and ensure that the company does not benefit from paramilitary acts.

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