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27 July, 2009
Three days of international action around decent work for casual workers, yesterday, today and tomorrow, are marking the 26 year commemoration of the 1983 disaster at the construction of South America’s largest hydroelectric dam. On 28 July of that year, two rockslides buried and killed 200 labourers constructing the Guavio dam. Almost all of those killed were temporary labourers.
The first of the two mudslides came 70 minutes apart, the second killing all those who had come to rescue the victims of the first. Those rescue efforts were being carried out in the dark, after all lights had been taken out by the first barrage of mud and rocks.
In all 3,500 people were employed in the $1.4billion construction of the dam. Many of the temporary workers killed in the accident were teenagers.
Carlos Bustos, ICEM’s Colombia Coordinator, in Bogotá, reports that yesterday saw many, from civil society and trade unions as well as victims’ relatives, make the journey to the Guavio dam, 87 miles east of the capital, in Ubalá Cundinamarca province. The commemoration ceremony was carried out there from 2.30pm.
Today and tomorrow, at the Hotel del parque Superior, carrera 5, Bogotá, events will continue around the anniversary. Those marking the anniversary of the tragedy, choose to respect those who died by mobilising the campaign for full labour rights for contract workers, including on safety and health issues. Current day struggles of temporary labourers in Colombia, and throughout the region, will be discussed, along with the action of the unions. Sintravidricol, Sintraquim, and Sotrans, will share their experiences. Tomorrow’s part of the national conference on outsourcing will conduct a round table discussion, bringing together the Ministry of Social Protection, the ILO, ICEM, and the national command unit, which comprises the CUT, CTC, and CGT. The session will be moderated by ICEM’s Christian Rivas.
ICEM’s affiliate Sintraelecol, along with the three national centres CUT, CGT, and CTC, and NGOs who attended, deserve much credit for marking the occasion effectively and continuing the struggle for decent work for contract and agency workers in the region.