Union members from across Colombia will join an estimated 190 million
workers in 180 countries by marching Tuesday to call attention to World
Day for Decent Work and support ongoing judicial and sugarcane worker strikes.
The mobilization comes shortly after the judicial strike moved into its second month—with negotiations yielding little obvious progress—and with the sugarcane worker strike at 22 days and counting.
Organizers hope to bring together marches in each of Colombia’s 32 departments. Participating groups include Unitarian Workers Central (CUT for its Spanish initials), Confederation of Colombian Workers (CTC for its Spanish initials) and the International Union Confederation, reported Portafolio.
“We have unified in order that they hear us,” said CUT president Tarsicio Mora. In the Colombian case, “we want to rescue mobilization and protest in the framework of civilization.”
The labor conditions in Colombia are like “neo-slavery” and don’t contribute nor permit workers to develop themselves, said CTC president Apecides Alviz. “Decent work implies fair salaries, social security that goes farther than health and pensions, that in Colombia are in crisis.”