Unison Northern and NTUC Solidarity Work in Southwest Colombia

Who are NTUC and Unison Northern?

Unison is a British public sector union with more than one million members in sectors such as health care, education and local government. The National Trade Union Congress (TUC) is a trade union central which is the British equivalent of the Colombian CUT. Both organisations have regional divisions. The northern division of both organisations are based in the city of Newcastle Upon Tyne.

NTUC International Forum

In 2007, NTUC created the NTUC Northern International Forum. The Forum was created with the aim of creating long-term, sustainable links between northern England and trade unions and social organisations in other countries. It has placed emphasis on the importance of building region to region links. This region to region emphasis means that the scale of project funding tends to be relatively small, in the range of £500 to £4000. It also means that projects are able to be developed at a local branch to branch level allowing the development of long-term, sustainable relationships. It also allows for the broader union membership to be engaged in international solidarity.

Why Colombia?

Given the continued social and armed conflict in the country, as well as the extremely high levels of political violence alongside the imposition of neoliberal economic policies which erode working conditions and impoverish the population, Colombia was an obvious choice as a country for the NTUC International Forum to build solidarity links with. Between 1999 and 2005, 816 trade unionists were murdered in Colombia, more than the number killed in every other country in the world put together in the same period. Meanwhile, 47% of Colombians live in poverty, and the country has four million internally displaced people. Only Sudan has a higher internally displaced population.

Why build solidarity links?

NTUC and Unison Northern’s solidarity work is based on the underlying belief that the global neoliberal economic model is responsible for causing and intensifying much of the world’s problems: wars, poverty, global warming, repression, corruption. With this belief comes the conviction that the only possible response to this model is the articulation of non-violent social processes around the world: we must globalise resistance. This means that relationships with social organisations must be based on equality and respect, and are primarily political in character as opposed to economic. Mutual learning is also a crucial part of our solidarity work: sharing experiences of organising and defending rights in different contexts is an essential part of building a global alternative to the neoliberal model.

What kind of organisations have Unison Northern and NTUC developed ties with?

As can be seen in the list below, NTUC and Unison Northern have supported a range of trade union campaigns as well as social organisations. Given the nature of the social and political panorama in Colombia, it is important to recognise that whilst it obviously remains crucial to continue supporting the strengthening of the trade union movement in the country, it is also of vital importance to support other sectors of the social movement and processes which are also stimulating debate and proposing alternatives to the status quo in the country. Examples include indigenous and afro-colombian communities, the Minga of Social and Communitarian Resistance, and human rights NGOs.

Two important partners for NTUC and Unison Northern in the South West region of Colombia have been the CUT (equivalent of TUC), and NGO Nomadesc which has been the driving force behind the Prohibido Olvidar campaign (Forbidden to Forget), an anti-privatization, pro-human rights campaign in conjunction with several trade unions and NGOs, launched with the support of British NGO War on Want. These relationships have enabled us to build ties with individual trade unions (see below).

In the UK, we have a close relationship with the Colombia Solidarity Campaign, based in London.

Our solidarity work has been facilitated by having a liaison officer on the ground in Cali, liaising with organisations in the region and co-ordinating with partners, helping to establish stronger ties between us.

What kind of the projects have been supported?

The projects and initiatives supported by NTUC and Unison Northern have had common themes: campaigning/social mobilisation, education, research, organisational strengthening, political participation, and the construction of historical memory.

NTUC and Unison Northern have supported a wide range of initiatives and organisations with varying characteristics:

Anti-Privatization Campaigns

Support for trade union Sintraemcali’s campaign to stop the privatization of Cali’s state-owned utilities company Emcali, and Sintraemsirva in its campaign to stop against the privatization of the state-owned street works company Emsirva.

Minga of Social and Communitarian Resistance

The Minga is a broad-based social coalition led by the country’s indigenous movement, which seeks to unite different social sectors in the construction of an alternative model for the country. The Minga has sought engaged in debates with the government over its concerns about the systematic human rights abuses which occur in the country, and the dreadful humanitarian and social crisis created by the policies of President Uribe’s government. It has also staged mass demonstrations all around the country, including a grand march in October 2008 from Cauca department to Bogota. The march had the participation of 20,000 people, and 40,000 when it passed through the major cities. Unison Northern and NTUC supported the Minga’s grand march, sending resources to help with the march’s logistics.

Human Rights Lawyer training

In conjunction with a collection of local legal firms in the North East, and the Wainright Trust the university studies of human rights activists have been sponsored in order for them to become human rights lawyers.

Delegations

Delegations are a crucial part of International Solidarity, as they allow the development of knowledge sharing, mutual learning and understanding, and above all human relationships between activists. So far two delegations of Colombian activists have visited the UK at the invitation of NTUC/Unison Northern, and two NTUC/Unison Northern delegations have visited Southwest Colombia. The delegations also serve as the motor for new initiatives and projects. A NTUC/Unison Northern delegation to Colombia is planned for March 2010.

Solidarity with striking workers

Ten thousand sugar cane cutters went on strike for six weeks in September 2008 over the slave-like work conditions forced upon them by the giant sugar companies. Unison Northern and NTUC send a solidarity donation during the strike to help the striking workers and their families to sustain themselves.

Capacity Building workshops

NTUC and Unison Northern also supported a series of capacity building workshops with the sugar cane cutters unions during 2009 in conjunction with CUT Valle. The workshops were aimed at strengthening the organisational capacity of the trade unions.

Investigation into Impacts of Neoliberal Health Reforms

Funding for an investigation into the impacts which the 1993 health reform had in Valle del Cauca department. The investigation came out of the realisation that the investigation could be used not only as a tool for health sector trade unions in Colombia, but will also provide a useful insight for health sector activists into the trajectory or ‘endgame’ of the major UK parties’ health policies.

Cultural education on rights awareness

Support for a project carried out by the Proceso de Comunidades Negras (Black Communities Process) in urban and rural communities around Buenaventura municipality. The project aimed to raise awareness amongst young Afro-Colombians about the importance of the Law 70 (passed in 1993) which granted many ethnic and cultural rights to Afro-Colombian communities for the first time, and also raise awareness about the historical struggles of Afro-Colombian communities which led to the law’s passing. The project was based around music and poetry workshops with local youngsters. The music and poetry was written especially for the project by local Afro-Colombian artists, and talks about the importance of the Law 70 and the struggles of Afro-Colombians.

Adult and child literacy, rights education and cultural education

Support for the Amauta library in the Aguablanca, one of the most socially deprived areas in the city. Amauta is a community library, run by volunteers from the community. Its work focuses on child and adult literacy, rights education, and cultural education including dance and music lessons.

Funding for trade union office

Sintamaritimo is the trade union of the dock workers in Buenaventura. Like the sugar cane cutters, the dock workers suffer slave-like working conditions. Because of the severe financial situation faced by the union it didn’t have an office, and activists would meet in their own homes. West Midlands Unison provided funding for the union to rent an office for one year whilst they organise and try to become self-sustaining.

Organisational strengthening and capacity building workshops for women’s group

Support for a project involving a series of capacity building and organisational strengthening workshops with the Women Sugar Cane Cutters Committee. The project is planned to begin early 2010. The workshops are also aimed to develop the political confidence and participation of the women, the majority of whom have traditionally played the role of housewife.

Articulation and organisational strengthening Regional Women’s Forum

This project will bring together women from various communities and organisations including victims’ groups, the Women Sugar Cane Cutters Committee, and groups from communities which have organised to stop evictions by house-owning companies. The forum will offer the groups the chance to share experiences, and increase co-operation between women in diverse social processes. The forum will be held in March 2010. The objective is to make the forum an annual event.

Health sector

As the biggest union in the health care sector in the UK, Unison Northern has identified as a priority establishing ties with health sector trade unions in Valle del Cauca. Initial contact has been made, and it is hoped that links can be further established during the visit of the delegation in March.

Conclusion

Whilst these local/regionally supported initiatives obviously will not solve the Colombian situation, this worker to worker solidarity is an important and relevant part of the solution. Mass movements begin from the grassroots, with small scale projects and alliances.

These solidarity links also play an important role in raising activists’ awareness in both the UK and Colombia of the importance of international solidarity, and the global nature of the shared struggle.

We look forward to continuing and building on this work in 2010 with UNISON Northern and NTUC, particularly supporting the capacity building and participation of women in trade unions and democractic processes, and also supporting the rights of indigenous peoples, and supporting their human rights.