LABOR CONFEDERATIONS REMAIN INTRANSIGENT ON THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BOGOTA 004233

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/25/2018
TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL ECON SOCI CO
SUBJECT: LABOR CONFEDERATIONS REMAIN INTRANSIGENT ON THE
CTPA

Classified By: Political Counselor John S. Creamer.
Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Center-left Nuevo Arco Iris think tank
Director Leon Valencia wrote an open letter to the presidents
of Colombia's three labor confederations on November 18,
saying that due to the changing political climate in the
United States, the "time was right" for Colombian unions to
send the GOC a constructive proposal to improve labor rights
and social policies. The largest labor confederation--the
United Workers Confederation (CUT)--rejected his proposal,
saying they were not just fighting for labor rights, but were
also defending Colombia from the "imperialists." Former CUT
President Carlos Rodriguez said confederation leaders
continue to put ideology and politics ahead of pocketbook
issues, noting that they refused to participate in minimum
wage talks on November 19. End summary.


2. (U) Center-left Nuevo Arco Iris think tank Director Leon
Valencia wrote an open letter to the presidents of the three
Colombian labor confederations on November 18, urging them to
send the GOC a constructive proposal to improve labor rights
and social policies in exchange for union support for the
Colombia-U.S. Trade Promotion Act (CPTA). He argued that due
to the current CTPA discussions and the changing U.S.
political climate, the "time was right" for the
confederations to put concrete proposals to improve labor
rights for Colombian workers, as well as other
disenfranchised groups, on the table. The CUT rejected his
proposal, saying they were not just fighting for labor
rights, but were also defending Colombia from the
"imperialists."


3. (U) Valencia, who demobilized from the National
Liberation Army (ELN) in 1994, told us that if the labor
confederations united with other social movements--such as
Afro-Colombian, indigenous and peasant groups--to develop
realistic proposals on labor rights and social policies, they
could obtain a win-win agreement with the GOC. He said this
was the labor confederations' chance to abandon their
traditional ideological resistance to modernization, as well
as their historical links to leftist armed groups. He noted
that in the context of a global economic crisis, the unions
could not deny the importance of the foreign investment and
trade that the CTPA would provide. Failure to recognize
these facts would continue the unions' "marginalization" and
reputation for "opposing everything."


4. (U) CUT President Tarsicio Mora responded to Valencia's
El Tiempo published letter, noting the importance of blocking
the CTPA at all costs. The CUT said the CPTA is against
Colombia's national interest and urged the GOC to model its
development policies on those of Venezuela, Bolivia and
Ecuador. He said Colombia's natural resources and markets
needed to be protected, and the unions must continue to
battle the authoritarian and dictatorial President Uribe.
CTC (Colombian Workers Confederation) President Apecides
Alvis also criticized the letter, noting the recent failure
of the neoliberal economic system. He also claimed the
CPTA's intellectual property rights provisions would damage
the generic pharmaceutical industry in Colombia.


5. (C) Former CUT President Carlos Rodriguez noted current
confederation leaders have increased political posturing and
hindered efforts to improve wages and worker conditions. He
said the CUT and CTC refused to meet with the employers and
the GOC to negotiate the 2009 minimum wage on November 19,
until the GOC adopted a 15-point list of "impossible" demands
like starting national public and private sector wage
negotiations, and ending the use of cooperatives. CTC
International Secretary Jose Leon Ramirez said the real
reason the unions did not attend was because the GOC invited
some pro-CPTA unionists. Rodriguez said more moderate
unionists, who make up about 50% of the CUT, are concerned
that Tarsicio's intransigence will be so detrimental to the
workers' pocketbook issues that they are considering ways to
oust him.





BROWNFIELD