First General Assembly of KC Union in Colombia
On April 20, 2013 a group of workers of Kimberly Clark in Tocancipa decided to form a branch of SINTRAPULCAR (National Union of Paper, Pulp and Cardboard Workers). On May 3, the first general assembly was held.
Omar Martin Correal, President of the Branch, welcomed the national guests of “Sintrapulcar Nacional”, its President Juan Alberto Parra, Marvin Largaespada and Leonor Sierra, representatives of UNI, and Luis Humberto Rubiano, representative of Industriall. "We have organized our union and the branch of Sintrapulcar in accordance with national law, and protected by the Social Dialogue Agreement signed between UNI and Kimberly Clark and the Code of Conduct of the company," said the president of this branch.
"The company has contacted us by letter pledging to respect the creation and actions of the union; on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 we will sit at the negotiating table to reach a collective agreement based on our demand for a list of claims". The representative pointed out that it was a positive gesture by the company to hold the first general assembly inside its premises.
Workers and representatives are closely monitoring the company’s middle management to ensure that they respect the unionization process being carried out in this plant. Marvin Largaespada, Director of UNI Americas Graphical and Packaging, said that this process will be evaluated during the next annual meeting of the Management Committee of the Social Dialogue Agreement between UNI and KC. "We hope that it takes place in an environment of respect and dialogue between the parties, and that the company does not put any obstacles to growth in membership and the development of the collective bargaining process."
Marvin also reported that the various organizations of the UNI-Kimberly Clark union network have been informed about the birth of the union, and expressed their full support for Colombian workers. Regional Secretary, Adriana Rosenzvaig, congratulated Colombian workers. "Our colleagues from Asia, Africa and Europe are pleased with this good news and are following this process closely. We want a strong union open to dialogue, and hope that the company does not put any obstacles in the creation process. "