News

The UNI Europa Finance Conference and the UNI Finance World Steering Group held in Dublin, Ireland, on 10-11 December 2009 have discussed the problems facing the banking workers’ trade union movement in Colombia. On 7 March last year, Leonidas Gomez Rozo, the leader of the Citibank banking union was assassinated, a criminal act that, as is usually the case in this country, has not yet been resolved by the government of President Uribe.

Conducting trade union activities in this country is particularly difficult, leading the Colombian colleagues to win admiration and support from all trade unions in the global financial sector brought together in UNI.

This year, Colombian banking workers mobilised to reach collective bargaining agreements in all banks. Agreements have already been signed; however, only in the Spanish multinational BBVA has it not been possible to conclude an agreement. The company is fighting worker-based unionism, using all types of practices to prevent democratic collective bargaining. Consequently, a strike has been called to attain the workers’ objectives.

This Conference backs and supports this workers’ mobilisation and demands from BBVA that it abide by the principles that it claims to respect as a socially responsible company and conclude a negotiated agreement with the trade unions.