Read Belching Out the Devil Online
Authors: Mark Thomas
Belching Out the Devil (45 page)
The Coca-Cola Company
,
in conjunction with setting-up the Colombia Foundation, itself specifically advertised its support for union rights an opposition to violence.
,in conjunction with setting-up the Colombia Foundation, itself specifically advertised its support for union rights an opposition to violence.
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2) Has The Coca-Cola Company's bottlers in Colombia ever issued any public statements or taken out any advertising defending the right to unioni
z
se and/or to denounce the violence directed against SINALTRAINAL? If so, may we see a copy of these statements?
z
se and/or to denounce the violence directed against SINALTRAINAL? If so, may we see a copy of these statements?
Throughout the years the independent bottlers of Coca-Cola ® brand products in Colombia
have frequently and publicly denounced violence against union members in Colombia. See attached advertisement for example.
have frequently and publicly denounced violence against union members in Colombia. See attached advertisement for example.The largest of such bottling enterprises,
Coca-Cola FEMSA,
also has informed us that it is their practice immediately to notify the appropriate authorities as soon as management is made aware of threats against union members. Coca-Cola FEMSA supplies notification and information to, among others, the Minister of Social Protection (Labor) and the Defensor del Pueblo (Ombudsman), as well as the Minister of the Interior, who manages the government's protection program for union leaders.
Coca-Cola FEMSA,
also has informed us that it is their practice immediately to notify the appropriate authorities as soon as management is made aware of threats against union members. Coca-Cola FEMSA supplies notification and information to, among others, the Minister of Social Protection (Labor) and the Defensor del Pueblo (Ombudsman), as well as the Minister of the Interior, who manages the government's protection program for union leaders.Â
3) Has The Coca-Cola Company *itself * ever investigated or engaged an independent third party to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the allegations of ties between bottler management and paramilitaries? And if so, what were the conclusions?
In the spring of 2005, The Company commissioned an independent assessment of bottling plants in Colombia by the internationally respected and certified social compliance auditor Cal Safety Compliance Corporation to look into current workplace rights practices of the bottlers in Colombia. The assessment,
which included interviews of hundreds of employees throughout Colombia,
confirmed that workers in
such
plants enjoy freedom of association, collective bargaining rights, and a work atmosphere free of anti-union intimidation.
which included interviews of hundreds of employees throughout Colombia,
confirmed that workers in
suchplants enjoy freedom of association, collective bargaining rights, and a work atmosphere free of anti-union intimidation.
Assessments by other unions in Colombia and elsewhere have
likewise found no evidence of wrongdoing by the Company or its
independent bottlers. In an open letter to the National Union of Students, the UK trade unions explained the Company's lack culpability as follows:
likewise found no evidence of wrongdoing by the Company or its
independent bottlers. In an open letter to the National Union of Students, the UK trade unions explained the Company's lack culpability as follows:
Since the first call to boycott Coca-Cola over Colombia was issued
in 2003, the UK trade union movement has investigated and monitored the situation closely. We have sent delegations to Colombia to speak to workers' representatives there. We have kept in close contact with trade unions in Colombia and have continued to raise issues of importance to them by taking up their cause with workers, politicians and the media here in the UK. We have taken the lead from the CUT [Colombia's United Workers Confederation] . . . the democratic umbrella organization for Colombian trade unions, as well as from the IUF (the International Union of Foodworkers), the relevant global union federation.
in 2003, the UK trade union movement has investigated and monitored the situation closely. We have sent delegations to Colombia to speak to workers' representatives there. We have kept in close contact with trade unions in Colombia and have continued to raise issues of importance to them by taking up their cause with workers, politicians and the media here in the UK. We have taken the lead from the CUT [Colombia's United Workers Confederation] . . . the democratic umbrella organization for Colombian trade unions, as well as from the IUF (the International Union of Foodworkers), the relevant global union federation.
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