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The UNI World Executive Board agreed two important solidarity statements on Colombia during its meeting this week. The first on UNI's full support for peace process in Colombia and the second directed at the Colombian Association of Civil Aviation Pilots (Asociación Colombiana de Aviadores Civiles, ACDAC) for human rights violations against striking workers.

Colombian unions also received the UNI Freedom From Fear Award for standing up for workers despite severe intimidation and threats, see full story here.

Find both statements in full below:

UNI’s World Executive Board reiterates its support for the peace process in Colombia

UNI Global Union’s World Executive Board, at its 20th meeting, in Nyon, Switzerland, on 10- 11 October 2017, reiterated its support for the peace process in Colombia and the agreement with the FARC signed on 24 November 2016 and for the talks between the national government and the ELN in Quito, Ecuador, in the hope that they lead to another agreement and the comprehensive resolution of the armed conflict.

We would like to highlight two very important decisions made in this process. First, FARC’s decision to lay down its arms on 27 June 2016. Under UN supervision, 6,800 ex-combatants handed over 7,132 weapons in an unprecedented event. Second, the bilateral ceasefire agreed by the government and the ELN, which came into force on 1 October this year.

The government needs to make a massive effort on important issues, notably the implementation of measures to protect social movement and trade union leaders. It is of concern that a social movement leader has been killed on average every four days since the agreement was signed in November and one is threatened on average every two days. Keeping leaders alive is a priority in this process, but human rights leaders and defenders continue to be vulnerable and this is of critical importance.

The government also needs to strengthen the organisation of border transition and normalization zones and promulgate laws and decrees necessary to implement the agreements. It needs to pay special attention to and condemn the growth of paramilitary groups that are spreading violence and terror among the population and that are occupying areas left by former combatants. Along with criminal elements, they represent a time bomb that directly threatens the sustainability of the peace process, which must have as its indisputable objective an improvement in the living and working conditions of all citizens and their families.

Government and employers must join workers in this post-agreement phase to achieve recognition for workers and their representatives and reparations for the trade union movement. They must also guarantee that unions will be allowed to operate and strengthen labour legislation to bring it into line with international standards and democratic principles.

UNI continues to rally support for the PEACE process in Colombia and makes every effort to promote forums in which we can together build, develop and implement our proposals to end the armed conflict.

UNI World Executive Board denounces human rights violations by Avianca

Members of the UNI Global Union Executive Board, meeting in Nyon, Switzerland on 10-11 October, call on affiliates throughout the world to denounce the human rights violations by Avianca and express their firm support for the lawful strike undertaken by members of the Colombian Association of Civil Aviation Pilots (Asociación Colombiana de Aviadores Civiles, ACDAC).

It is with great concern that we note how Avianca is violating the human right to freedom of association, collective bargaining and the right to strike and failing to comply with labour legislation and the Constitution. These violations could affect all workers throughout the country as well as Avianca’s pilots.

UNI urges Avianca to resume negotiations with workers in pursuit of a peaceful settlement and to fully comply with Colombian legislation and international agreements that protect ACDAC.

It also calls on President Santos to act as facilitator and, as Colombia’s most senior authority, to guarantee workers' right to strike and reject Avianca’s union-busting methods.

We also want to highlight the good work being done by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), in defence of its affiliates in Colombia.

We make this statement on behalf of UNI Global Union, a global trade union federation representing more than 20 million members and more than 900 affiliated trade unions in the services and health sectors.