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18 October, 2010
The ICEM Colombian affiliate Unión Sindical Obrera (USO) is being attacked by local management of Schlumberger Surenco, the world's largest oilfield services corporation with operations in approximately 80 countries. In an aggressive union busting campaign, the company is offering considerable benefits to those employees who cancel their union membership and to those non-unionised.
Workers who do not choose to utilise their right to join the union are rewarded with increased salaries, increased holiday days, promotions, and general preferential treatment. Bullying and persecution occurs throughout the production sites in Colombia, especially in the Andina and Milenio plants in Bogotá. A common response from local managers when workers present a problem is “disaffiliate from the union, and then we’ll talk.”
A collective agreement was reached between the workers and management in Colombia on 29 March, following months of negotiations. Now the company breaches the agreement regularly. Health and safety breached are common, with workers having to eat meals at their work posts, and in oil wells, to work continuously for months without time off, to work extra hours without overtime benefit. The company repeatedly insists on conducting disciplinary hearings at company headquarters in Bogotá, making it difficult for the correct USO representatives to travel long distances and attend, circumventing the proper industrial relations structure and process.
As the ICEM has reported many times in the past, Schlumberger’s union busting campaign is being conducted under the consent of the national government, now lead by President Juan Manuel Santos.
The global oil services company has annual operating revenues of US$27.16 billion.
USO asks supporters around the world to write to the company and government to demand that Schlumberger employees can freely exercise their right to organise and bargain collectively. Send those messages to the following addresses.
SCHLUMBERGER – COLOMBIA
Calle 100 No. 13-21
Piso 4
Edificio Megabanco
Bogotá D.C
Presidencia de la República
Dr. Juan Manuel Santos,
Cra. 8 No..7-26, Palacio de Nariño,
Santa fe de Bogotá.
Fax: (+57 1) 566.20.71
Vicepresidencia de la República
Dr. Angelino Garzón
Dr. Carlos Franco Programa Presidencial de Derechos Humanos y de Derecho Internacional Humanitario. Calle 7 No. 5-54
FAX: (+571) 337.46.67
E-mail: [email protected]
Programa Presidencial de Derechos Humanos y de Derecho Internacional Humanitario
Dr. Fernando Ibarra
E-mail: [email protected]
Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos
[email protected]
Representante Permanente de la OIT en Colombia
Dr. José Luís Daza
E-mail: [email protected]
Procuraduría General de la Nación
Dr. Alejandro Ordóñez Maldonado
E-mail: [email protected];
[email protected]
Fiscalía General de la Nación
Dr. GUILLERMO MENDOZA DIAGO (E)
E-mail: [email protected];
[email protected]
Unidad de Derechos Humanos y de Derecho Internacional Humanitario
E-mail: [email protected]
Defensoría del Pueblo
Dr. Volmar Antonio Pérez Ortiz
E-mail: [email protected]
Central Unitaria de Trabajadores CUT
E-mail: [email protected]
USO NACIONAL – Barrancabermeja
E-mail: [email protected]