‘Persistent challenges to labor rights’ in Colombia: US govt
‘Persistent challenges to labor rights’ in Colombia: US govt
Nov 19, 2014 posted by Joel Gillin
A recent report by the United States Government Office of Accountability (GAO) claims that, despite positive steps, labor rights face “persistent challenges” in Colombia.
According to the report, requested by the US Congress to assess the “status of (free trade agreement) labor provisions in partner countries,” the Colombian government has “acted to change labor laws” and “acted to address violence against union members.”
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“Workers attempting to organize and negotiate better working conditions and wages consistently face the threat of violence, including murder, and the loss of their jobs. Few if any of these murders, assaults, bombings, let alone hundreds of death threats, are fully investigated and prosecuted. Illegal sub-contracting remains common,” claimed McGovern, a member of the congressional Monitoring Group on Labor Rights in Colombia.
The Congressman claimed the Colombian government has failed to effectively implement worker protection policies, as “inspections by the Labor Ministry are infrequent and uneven in quality. And when sanctions are levied against abusive employers, they are generally ignored,” said the Congressman.
More:
http://colombiareports.co/persistent-challenges-labor-rights-colombia-us-govt/
