S.O.S. SINTRAEMCALI

PRESIDENT URIBE ORDERS THE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF EMCALI EICE WORK PLANTS

SINTRAEMCALI, the Cali Public Services trade union, denounces to the national and international community the action of President Alvaro Urribe who has ordered the military occupation of EMCALI work plants. This action aims at preventing workers from entering the CAM – Central Administration Building and Bulevar (another work plant). Up until now no workers have been able to enter and carry out their duties.

The Events:

1.- In the early hours of 30th September, a contingent of military personnel from the Third Brigade accompanied by the local police and an anti –riot squad occupied the entrances to both the CAM Tower administration building and the Bulevar Telephone office. Initially they prevented the entrance of workers, and later disrupted the Permanent Assembly that workers have been carrying out since 25th September due to the failure of the government to fulfil signed agreements with the trade union which were agreed on 29th January, and also in protest at the actions of the water manager CARLOS VITALIANO SANCHEZ

2.- The order for the military takeover of the plants was given directly by President AlvaroUribe Velez, according to the Superintendent of Public Services MARIA DEL PILAR ORDSQEZ MENDEZ, the commander of the Third Brigade JORGE PINEDA CARVAJAL and the Commander of the Metropolitan Police OSCAR ADOLFO NARANJO TRUJILLO.

3.- The Superintendent stated that Alvaro Uribe had ordered the military occupation of the plants via the Superintendent of Public Services due to a fear that the trade union and its members were planning to occupy the installations. Authorisation was given to use all necessary measures to prevent workers from occupying the installations and to ensure the continued provision of services provided by the company, and the security of the infrastructure.

Background:

Since 24th September EMCALI workers affiliated to the trade union SINTRAEMCALI have exercised their constitutional rights and international norms to carry out a ‘Permanent Assembly’ with the aim of pressuring the government to fulfil its obligations under an agreement signed with the trade union on 29th January 2002 aimed at strengthening and saving EMCALI EICE. The trade union last week denounced the bad management of water plant manager VITALIANO SANCHEZ and the head of the Maintenance Department JAIRO VILLAREAL, who have both put in jeopardy the provision of water to more than 70% of the local population. Since the appointment of the Water Manager the plant has been on the verge of collapse two times, despite the verbal and written protestations of the trade union. The union called for a ‘Shock Plan’ which would remove those in the administration responsible for these acts, and extra financial measures to pay for necessary equipment and repairs. The union received no response.

The Puerto Mallarino Plant is crucial for the supply of water to the city of Cali –responsible for nearly 70% of the population’s water supply. The union suspects that the actions of the manager are a deliberate attempt to destabilise the company and seriously effect the provision of water to the local population.

CARLOS VITALIANO SANCHEZ, was involved as an adviser in the public services and mining industries in the Atlantic Coast and Cundinamarca regions which have been privatised. He was a consultant for Carbocol, a company that has now been brought by Drummond and Minercol.

The most serious of all is that the action of the manager goes against signed agreements between the Colombian government and the trade union which aimed at guaranteeing the survival of the company and the implementation of cost saving measures such as Mingas Comunitarias (Community Work-ins) where workers give up their weekend to work for free carrying out repairs.

We denounce these attempts that seek to yet again provide the terrain for the privatisation of the company EMCALI E.I.C.E and furthermore we also denounce the blatant violation of basic trade union rights of association, expression and protest which are protected in both the National Constitution and International norms that protect workers rights throughout the world.

We call on all of you to demand that the Colombian government respect these minimal guarantees and above all that they fulfil obligations signed in the 29th January 2002 Agreement.

30th September, 2002