Prison workers' union leader shot dead in Colombia

The TUC has protested yet again at another killing of a trade unionist in Colombia. Hernán Abdiel Ordoñez Dorado, treasurer of the executive board of the prison workers' union ASEINPEC in Cali was shot dead by assailants travelling by motorbike. He had been involved in denouncing alleged acts of corruption by top prison officers at the Women's Prison.

Here is the protest letter sent to the Colombian Ambassador by TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber:

Ambassador Mauricio Rodríguez Múnera

Embassy of Colombia

3 Hans Crescent

London SW1X OLN

Dear Ambassador

Assassination of Colombian Trade Unionist: Hernán Abdiel Ordoñez Dorado

Further to my letter of 7 June just last week, on behalf of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) representing British workers and the 6.3 million members of our affiliated unions I regret that I have to write yet again to raise our concerns in the strongest possible terms over the assassination of Hernán Abdiel Ordoñez Dorado, treasurer of the executive board of the prison workers' union ASEINPEC in Cali.

We understand that Ordoñez was in the company of his mother when he was attacked by unknown assailants travelling by motorbike, who shot him dead with four bullets. He had been involved in denouncing alleged acts of corruption by top prison officers at the Women's Prison. He had received death threats and an attempt had already been made on his life. Wee understand that your government had ignored the repeated requests of the CGT (Central General de los Trabajadores) to provide him with security.

We join the requests of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the CGT in requesting that the Colombian government take every step necessary to clear up the motives behind this murder and to identify and bring all those responsible to justice.

Your government has continued to argue that there has been a dramatic fall in the number of trade unionists being assassinated. Tragically the facts on the ground continue to contradict this, and I am pleased to see that the ILO will be sending a High Level Tripartite Mission to Colombia to investigate - something that would not be done if the situation was not so serious.

The ongoing killings - which as we have already highlighted this year are continuing to run at the rate of more than one a week (25 in the first four months of the year) - indicate that contrary to the assurances given by your Government to the international community and to the ILO, little is being done to safeguard the lives of trade union members and activists in Colombia, or investigate and prosecute such murders.

I must again restate our position that until this situation is rectified, the British trade union movement will continue to urge our own Government to end their political and military support for the Colombian Government and oppose the signing of any bilateral trade agreements between the EU and Colombia.

I look forward to hearing from you regarding what measures are being taken to find and prosecute the murderers in these cases.

Yours sincerely

Brendan Barber

General Secretary

Briefing document (600 words) issued 14 Jun 2010