9 January, 2012
The president of the Colombian Oil Workers’ Trade Union (USO) was dismissed from his employment at 95% nationally-owned Ecopetrol on 13 December, in an attempt to remove the democratically elected leader of the union and weaken the organisation. The move was based on national legislation blocking individuals holding public office becoming involved in politics, following Vecino’s participation at a speaking event involving a political candidate of the left wing Polo Democrático, the event was held to commemorate the death of Jorge Ortega, Vice President of the CUT. The law should only apply to individuals holding managerial responsibilities inside a company which president Rodolfo Vecino Acevedo does not. It is absurd to attempt to use this legislation against a union leader, who necessarily seeks to affect the politics of a company as well as of the country, in the interest of the workers s/he represents. The vast majority of USO members are supporters of the Polo Democrático.
USO President Rodolfo Vecino
The blatant attack on union freedom and autonomy follows a long historical trend of intimidation and harassment of ICEM’s militant affiliate USO. In 2011 USO conducted a strong campaign for improved pay and conditions for its members at foreign multinational corporations (MNCs), especially Canadian-based Pacific Rubiales. Many see the Colombian government and authorities repeatedly prioritising the interests of foreign MNCs far above those of Colombian workers. A further pernicious reason for the arbitrary sacking of president Vecino could be the strong opposition from USO to the government attempts at privatising Ecopetrol. It is a core value of USO that oil industry operations in Colombia must be publically owned, instead of foreign companies exporting profits from their oil wealth.
The ruling also blocks president Vecino from holding office for a period of 10 years.
The investigation against Vecino was carried out by Ecopetrol’s Office of Disciplinary Inspection, which is conducting a wide ranging systematic attack on the union, with the clear intention to destroy USO all together. Three other USO officials targeted by the office are General Secretary Edgardo Lozano, Jaime Rodriguez, Head of the pipeline subcommittee, and Joaquín Padilla in Cartegena province. There are over 1,000 investigations by the office on USO activists.
During the Pacific Rubiales campaign at the end of 2011 threats from alleged paramilitaries increased, with USO leaders receiving verbal and written threats of kidnap, torture and death for their role in the strike in the eastern department of Meta. Pacific Rubiales publically condemned the threats. In his 27 years as a trade union activist, president Vecino has suffered the attempted kidnapping of his children, two attacks, and multiple threats. View a video of Vecino describing this here.
The ICEM Congress in Buenos Aires, last November, resolved to support Colombian workers, under vicious attack by employers and many aspects of the state. Write to Ecopetrol President Javier Gutierrez Pemberthy here. See the Belgian Centrale Generale FGTB’s letter to Pemberthy here.
4,500 trade unionists have been assassinated in Colombia in the last 25 years. The trend of violence has not been stopped by new national president Juan Manuel Santos.