Several United States unions visit Colombia Monday to inspect the
situation of labor rights workers in the country. the visit is one of the
conditions of the Democratic Party to approve a free trade pact with
Bogotá.
Colombian opposition party Polo Democrático uses the opportunity to protest the agreement. It will meet with the U.S. union members as part of its lobby to not have the NAFTA approved by President-elect Barack Obama.
For the same reason, senators of the party will travel to Washington next week to talk to U.S. lawmakers, expressing their objections to the free trade agreement.
“We hope to make a number of visits to the United States to stress the human rights violations committed to the Colombian people” Polo senator Luis Carlos Avellaneda told newspaper El Espectador.
Visiting U.S. unions CIOSL and ORII represent some four million workers in their home country and were one of the first groups to support Barack Obama’s campaign to obtain the U.S. presidency.
According to Polo — closely connected to Colombian unions — 35 Colombian union leaders were killed in the past year and more than 3,000 were murdered over the past ten years.