[g8-sheffield] Fwd: PROTEST TO COCA-COLA

[Dave Doyouneed2kno]

I know this isn't g8 related but hopefully of
interest.

Dave

---------------------------------

FRIDAY 22 JULY 2005 -SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF THE

INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST COCA-COLA

 MAKE YOU FEELINGS KNOWN- SEND MESSAGES OF PROTEST TO
COCA-COLA 

 

Two years ago SINALTRAINAL (the Colombian Food and
Drink Workers Union) launched an international boycott
of Coca Cola and all its products, in response to a
brutal policy of terror and repression that Coca Cola
had unleashed against their own workers in Colombia.
Since 1994, 8 Coca-Cola workers and SINALTRAINAL union
leaders have been assassinated by paramilitaries, who
the evidence suggests, were hired by Colombia’s
Coca-Cola management. Hundreds of other workers and
union members have been imprisoned, tortured,
threatened, disappeared or forced into exile.

The boycott campaign has been a success in many ways.
Individuals and social and trade union organisations
all around the world have pledged their support of the
boycott (including UNISON, PCS and the Scottish
Socialist Party). However Coke have refused to abandon
their hard line, have refused to negotiate with
SINALTRAINAL, and the repression against the workers
has continued. Since the boycott started on 22 July
2003, 

·         Coke workers in Colombia had to go on hunger
strike to fight mass sackings.

·         Union Vice President Juan Carlos Galvis was
injured in an assassination attempt.

·         Union leader Luis Eduardo Garcia’s son
escaped from a paramilitary kidnap.

·         4 members of union leader Efrain Guerrero’s
family were slaughtered in their beds by
paramilitaries

·         Coke launched their seventh libel case
against a SINALTRAINAL leader.

When the union launched the boycott campaign, they
knew there would be a price to pay, and are relying on
international support and solidarity to see them
through to the end of their fight for justice. We have
a moral obligation to support the workers of
SINALTRAINAL. 

 

SEND PROTEST MESSAGES ON 22 July 2005

On 22 July this year, please send messages of protest
to Coca-Cola (an example is included).

Fax, email or telephone (or all 3) to make your
feelings known. 

Send messages to: 

Tim Wilkinson, Director of Public Affairs and
Communications Coca-Cola GB. 

Telephone: 0800 227711 or 0208 237 3000 

Fax:  0208 237 3700. 

E-mail:  twilkinson at eur.ko.com

 



































 Dear Coca- Cola,

The International Boycott of all your products has
been going for two years, and people across the world
now know about Coca-Cola’s crimes in Colombia.
However, I am very worried that instead of negotiating
with SINALTRAINAL, Coca-Cola seems to have increased
the repression against their Colombian workers. I will
continue to boycott all your products, until Coca Cola
has

·         mitigated the pain of the victims by making
reparations for damage caused.

·         publicly recognise that it benefited from
crimes carried out by paramilitaries against Coke
workers.

·         committed itself to not making any new
attacks on the workers, and hand over to justice those
criminals who carried out attacks on their behalf.

·         negotiated with the union, a code of conduct
to safeguard workers’ lives, in the presence of
international observers.

 Yours Sincerely





		
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