by Joaquin Romero, from Labor Today, June 1, 2021
Labor Today would like to thank Joaquin Romero, Member of the WFTU Presidents Council and President of Funtramiexico for this excellent report and manifesto of the workers of Colombia who continue their courageous general strike and their opposition to the fascist government of President Iván Duque Márquez. Please send messages of solidarity to Funtramiexco, . THE WORKERS UNITED WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED!
LT EDITORIAL TEAM: Joseph Hancock, Abdel Garcia, and Dr. Frank Goldsmith
Bogota, D.C. June 1, 2021
The narco-paramilitary government of Uribe-Duque, have carried out a disguised coup d’état in 8 departments of the country, by issuing presidential decree No. 575, dated May 28th. 575, of May 28, 2021, called “military assistance“, which orders several Mayors and Governors to lift militarily and by force the strike, in those places where there are road blockades, as the only solution to solve the popular demands, in the face of a great structural crisis that mercilessly hits the poor and excluded families, due to the accumulation of wealth in few hands of national and foreign monopolies, aggravated by the theft of 50 billion a year of state resources by the greedy Colombian oligarchy, and the confinement of Covid-19, which have had no help from the government, while the powerful capitalists received millions in state aid, but also wanted to impose a tax reform, a health reform among others, too aggressive to popular interests, exonerating the national and transnational oligarchs. On the contrary, the mayor of Bogota, the capital of the country, stated that she would not accept this military measure because it had no application, the same has been stated by the Governor of the Department of Caqueta and other regional authorities who accepted the dialogues with the promoters of the strike, rather than the military action, to seek a solution to the problems raised, a matter that tested the political and cultural incapacity of the weakened and cornered head of state, and as a lackey of his imperialist masters, they develop the script that they must follow.
The government policy to confront the national strike, has not been dialogue or negotiation, but fascist measures of force, such as the murder of more than 65 young people, 200 disappeared, more than 700 wounded, 47 people whose eyes have been lacerated by the police, more than 2,000 arrested and tortured, more than 20 rapes of several young women, breaking clear constitutional norms, in contravention of international human rights law. This inhuman barbarism, exercised by the state armed forces in collusion with paramilitary, para-police and para-state forces that together with the police carried out the criminal aggression against the defenseless population exercising their right to protest, without the president condemning such criminal and vandalic acts, nor the institutions of State control such as the Attorney General’s Office, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ombudsman’s Office, since they have been co-opted by the governing party, which has greatly discredited the State and Police institutions with the brutal repression of the strike and the military with the extrajudicial executions of more than 10,000 young people in the Uribe governments, and the military with the extrajudicial executions of more than 10,000 young people in the Uribe governments. 000 young people in the governments of Uribe Velez 2002-2010.
The World Federation of Trade Unions F.S.M. – Colombia, Funtramiexco and its affiliated Organizations of Mining-Energy, Metallurgical, Railway, Chemical workers and related branches, we strongly reject the reactionary fascist measures decreed by the Government, as well as the crimes of all kinds against social protest and we join the call of several national and international Organizations, to the International Criminal Court, to act and prevent the loss of young lives and help to a future of welfare to the new generations in Colombia, We also demand the repeal of all the anti-popular and inhumane measures decreed by the government, which in no moment resolves the injustices of this country and on the contrary deepens them affecting the people in general.
Federation Sindical Mundial, F.S.M. – Colombia, National Executive Committee “FUNTRAMIEXCO” and it’s affiliated organizations, Email:
Manifesto Of The Mining, Energy, Metallurgical, Chemical, Extractive, Transportation and Similar Industries Unions of Colombia, In Support of the Courageous National Strike“
Bogotá D.C., May 18, 2021
The realization of the National Strike of April 28, 2021 in Colombia, is the most important mass movement in recent years, only comparable to the National Civic Strike of September 14, 1977, against the policies of hunger and terror imposed by the Colombian narco-terrorist regime, continuation of the disastrous and criminal Spanish colony, after the first independence of the 19th century, which bequeathed a violent, opprobrious, enslaving and corrupt regime, that is to say, our Nation has not been able to free itself completely from the chains of the iron regime of the Spanish colony nor from imperialism, mainly North American.
The brutal and criminal repression of the State, against the people who participate in the strike, has been a constant in the history of the popular struggles in Colombia, which has left thousands of dead, disappeared, wounded, expropriated, displaced, exiled, for a simple reason, the majority of the properties of the oligarchic and imperialist families of the country have been stripped with blood and blood, have been taken away with blood and fire from the peasant communities, from the black, indigenous, workers, and middle classes, and when the popular masses demand redistribution of the national income, they respond recurrently with aggression from the public forces, paramilitaries and mercenaries, to prevent them from disputing their petty and ill-gotten wealth, also because they have used the State to steal public resources and goods, for more than 50 trillion pesos annually, apart from eliminating labor and social rights to further enrich the national and transnational oligarchic castes and in order to cover up these embezzlements of the State, they impose harmful taxes on the population on a daily, monthly and annual basis, Historically, the excessive taxation of the Spanish colony and the assassination of popular leaders, among others, were among the main triggers of the liberating deeds of the patriotic army commanded by our heroes, headed by the Caracas born Simón Bolívar.
The fascist brutality of the narco-paramilitary terrorist government, integrated by the leaders of the oligarchic parties: Centro Democrático, Cambio Radical, Partido de la “U”, Partido Conservador, Liberal, among others, in alliances with some evangelical religious sects mainly, who run the justice system, the congress, the armed forces, big national and transnational companies, are responsible for the massive violation of the human rights of the working people, of the youth, of the women, who have suffered the most degrading and inhuman police, military and paramilitary actions of state terrorism, leaving a balance of 53 deadly crimes, more than 650 wounded, 37 people have lost their eyes by the terrorist action of the Esmad squadron, 1. 500 detainees, 500 disappeared, 21 rapes of women detainees, since April 28, the beginning of the national strike to date, which has generated national and international repudiation and condemnation, which led to the resignation of the ministers of finance and foreign affairs.
Our people are resisting, with the youth at the head, who are the future of the new Colombia, which looms on the horizon of tomorrow, leaving behind a dying capitalism, full of hatred, injustice, barbarism, slavery, opprobrium and death, but this dying capitalism must be helped to die, the faster the better, because it does not die alone and before it continues to cause so many tragedies, ignominy, ignominy and death, but this dying capitalism must be helped to die, the faster the better, because it does not die alone and before it continues to cause so many tragedies, ignominy and death. causing so many tragedies, ignominies and injustices to our beloved and sacrificed people.
Funtramiexco makes an urgent call to our affiliated organizations and workers of the branch, to participate decisively in the strike, mobilizing to contribute to the strengthening of the struggle that leads to a democratic solution to the serious problems we are facing, such as the reinstatement of workers unjustly dismissed for their struggle, respect for the right to organize, hire and hire workers, and the right of the workers to work for the company. respect for the right to organize, contract and strike, seriously curtailed by the state and the bosses, with the illegalization of ten strikes of our affiliates in the last decade, for the nationalization and exploitation of our natural wealth for the sovereign industrialization of the country and social welfare.
Likewise, we call on the other industrial, mining, agro-industrial, trade, state, transport, construction and service unions, etc., as well as we exhort all our workers militancy to strengthen the struggle together with the students, the young workers and all those masses that are today in the streets protesting against the indolent violations of capitalism and the criminal militarization, so that together we can jointly invigorate the national strike, since we are in a struggle between the forces of war that is the state, its government and the oligarchic castes, against the forces of peace of the present and future of the new generations that fight for a new democratic, sovereign, free, developed, inclusive Colombia for the benefit of all Colombians, led by the workers, peasants, indigenous peoples, students and intellectuals, popular masses and the people in general. people in general.
The People United Will Never be Defeated
Forward Working Class, Go Forward with Courage, We Must Break the Chains of this Oppressive System!
Long Live the National Strike
*Featured Image: Anti-government protest in Medellin (Photo: Jorge Calle)
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – FUNTRAMIEXCO – AND ITS ORGANIZATIONS AND AFFILIATES