Complicité canadienne dans les assassinats de travailleurs miniers, en Colombie

* ACTION URGENTE *

Svp intervenir immédiatement

Date : 24 avril 2008

Envoyé par : Fredericton Peace Coalition

Traduit par : Comité pour le droits humains en Amérique latine

Résumé

Le 22 mars dernier, Adolfo Gonzáles Montes, un représentant syndical de SINTRACARBON travaillant dans la mine de charbon de Cerrejón, a été torturé et assassiné chez lui à Riohacha, dans l’état de La Guajira, en Colombie. Le charbon produit à Cerrejon représente une source importante du charbon utilisé par les centrales thermiques de New Brunswick Power, et donc une source d’énergie significative pour toute la province du Nouveau-Brunswick.

Envoyez cette lettre à la New Brunswick Power, au Ministre de l’énergie ainsi qu’au Premier ministre du Nouveau-Brunswick, afin de demander qu’ils développent des politiques de droit de la personne et qu’ils s’assurent que leurs achats ou opérations ne contribueront pas à des abus des droits humains en Colombie.

Lettre modèle

À : Bernier.M@parl.gc.ca, emersd@parl.gc.ca, emersd1a@parl.gc.ca, emersd1b@parl.gc.ca, embajada@embajadacolombia.ca

C.C.I. : laura(arobas)ccdhal.com

Objet : Cerrejón coal mine union leader assassinated in Colombia

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Montreal, April 24, 2008

DAVID HAY President & CEO NB Power Holding Corporation

Hon. JACK KEIR Energy Minister, New Brunswick

Hon. SHAWN GRAHAM Premier of New Brunswick

Subject : Cerrejón coal mine union leader assassinated in Colombia

By means of this letter, I wish to express my profound preoccupation for the threats and assassinations against union members and leaders working at the Cerrejon coal mine in Colombia, which is an important source of coal for the province of New Brunswick, and one of NB Power’s Belledune plant coal suppliers

On March 22, Adolfo Gonzáles Montes, a worker at the Cerrejón mine and union leader with SINTRACARBON (the National Union of Coal Mine Workers), was tortured and killed at his home in Riohacha, Colombia. He is survived by his wife and four small children.

NB Power’s Belledune plant burns coal produced in the Cerrejón mine. Approximately 16% of the power in the province is generated from Cerrejón coal. All the coal extracted from Cerrejón is exported to meet the energy demands of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Massachusetts, and elsewhere.

Coal extracted from mines in Colombia has been dubbed "Colombian blood coal" because of assassinations of union leaders and violent displacements of communities at the country’s coal mines. Colombia is the most dangerous place in the world for people active in trade unions ; 2,510 trade union leaders have been murdered in the last ten years. Colombian trade unionists, human rights defenders and their family members are the target of death threats and other forms of brutal intimidation.

The Colombian government’s failure to act on such crimes allows the perpetrators to kill and harass trade unionists and human rights defenders with impunity.

Despite knowledge of Colombia’s deplorable human rights track record and opposition from the Canadian labour and social justice movements, Canada is in the process of forging a free trade agreement with Colombia. Canada has a compelling responsibility to press Colombian authorities to protect trade unionists and human rights defenders.

For these reasons, I demand to NB Power and the government of New Brunswick :

 That you develop a detailed human rights policy in your business dealings and ensure compliance with this policy through an independent third party ;

 That you ensure that your purchases, operations or investments do not directly or indirectly contribute to human rights abuses, either by commission, omission or negligence.

 That you clearly communicate human rights values to your suppliers, contractors, business partners and the general public.

 That you include in your human rights policy, International Labour Organization (ILO) standards that uphold the rights of Indigenous peoples and the safety of trade unionists.

 That you pressure Colombian authorities to investigate and bring to justice those responsible for the murder of Adolfo Gonzáles Montes, the SINTRACARBON union leader and to take immediate measures to protect the life of threatened trade unionists and human rights defenders in Colombia.

Thank you in advance for the attention you will put into this matter. Please let me know about any actions undertaken to fufill these requests.

Kind regards,

**VOTRE NOM**
VILLE