28 Jan, 2002
Colombia Solidarity Campaign (UK): PRESS STATEMENT
The month long occupation to stop the privatisation of EMCALI took a surprising turn just after 10am this morning when over a hundred workers occupied the 8 storey headquarters of the Superintendent of Public Services in Bogotá. Negotiations have started in the same building, with the union SINTRAEMCALI lead by its president Alexander Lopez and vice-president Lucho Hernandez, and Cali community groups, on the one side, and superintendent Diego Humberto Caicedo and his team on the other. At time of writing the building is surrounded by riot police.
Trade unions from other parts of the public sector, universities, municipal workers and representatives of the Cauca Valley regional CUT trade union federation are with SINTRAEMCALI members inside the second occupation. Meanwhile telecommunications workers and water workers from Bogotá are outside the occupation, and the national CUT is calling for members to rally in its support.
There are now two occupations of high profile buildings both demanding no privatisation of water, electricity and telecommunications services in Cali. Speaking from inside the Bogotá occupation Cauca Valley CUT representative HECTOR CASTRO HERNÁNDEZ said “I stress that the unions want a peaceful resolution to the occupation, which we intend to maintain in step with the SINTRAEMCALI occupation of the CAM tower in Cali until our core demands are met”. For SINTRAEMCALI's statement see below.
As reported yesterday in Cali there there reigns an effective state of martial law, with the City Security Council closing all bars for 48 hours; banning all meetings, demonstrations and gatherings; setting up army and police roadblocks and providing for the army to take over the running of public utility services – all on the spurious grounds of falsely linking the trade union and community protests to terrorism.
“The Colombia Solidarity Campaign calls on the Colombian government to ensure that its security forces respect SINTRAEMCALI's right of peaceful social protest, and do not use force to dislodge the occupations. We call on international public opinion to rally in support of the two occupations against privatisation.” said the campaign's co-ordinator Andy Higginbottom.
Contact can be made with the occupiers in Bogotá through mobile telephone 00573 7738605.
6.30pm Monday 28th January 2002, Colombia Solidarity Campaign (UK), Tel: 07950 923 448 Email: colombia_sc@hotmail.com