Boycott Coca Cola
The International Boycott of Coca Cola started
on the 22 July 2003. It was called by SINALTRAINAL (Colombian Food
and Drinks Workers’ Union). It is supported by the World Social
Forum, and by the CUT and the CGTD (principle trade union federations
in Colombia), and numerous social organisations around the world.
Coca Cola stand accused of complicity in the assassination
of 8 Sinaltrainal trade union leaders in Colombia since 1990. Many
other leaders have been imprisoned, tortured, forcibly displaced
and exiled. Of course, Coca Cola deny any responsibility for the
murders, pointing out that 100s of union leaders are killed every
year in Colombia. However, many of Sinaltrainal’s victims
were killed inside Coca Cola plants while negotiating collective
agreements. Coca Cola management were reported in the national press
as meeting and contracting members of the AUC death squads to “sort
out their labour problems”.
So why the boycott? Sinaltrainal have exhausted
all the legal avenues in Colombia, where their applications to the
courts have been manipulated and rejected. However, in the USA,
in a court case brought in solidarity with Sinaltrainal by the United
Steel Workers Union, a judge has ruled that there is enough evidence
for a case to continue against Coca Cola’s Colombian subsidiaries.
However, the multinational refuses to cooperate with the union,
and the violent repression continues. Coca Cola are also suing the
union for libel. The boycott and international campaign are powerful
but dangerous weapons, the workers in Colombia know that they will
bear the brunt of the repression for highlighting these facts. They
deserve your solidarity.
“We ask Coca Cola to stop killing,
and you to stop drinking Coke”
Carlos Julia, Sinaltrainal
For more information, see:
www.killercoke.org; www.sinaltrainal.org;
www.cokewatch.org
Also, read SINALTRAINAL'S declaration on the boycott.
Download the
declaration.
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