12-Jun-2008
New Socialist
What’s the monetary value of a Colombian trade unionist’s life? As it turns out, it depends on how many are killed in a given year since the potential fines the Colombian government will have to pay as penalty under its free trade agreement (FTA) with Canada whenever a union activist is killed is capped at $15 million. If this sounds like a sick joke I apologize, but this is in effect what the Canadian government actually negotiated.
9-Jun-2008
Jamaica Gleaner
The unprecedented impact of rising energy prices on the cost of ocean transport means that moving goods from one nation to another has become a bigger barrier to global trade than tariffs.
4-May-2008
Upside Down World
The ongoing violence against workers in Guatemala makes it clear that talk of free trade improving human rights in developing countries is lost in translation.
1-May-2008
Huffington Post
Lately, the US labor movement has been accused of "lying" about the violence confronting unionists in Colombia. The accusers’ argument is that "only" 39 unionists were killed last year in Colombia. Commentators who use "only" and "merely" to describe 39 murders do not value the sanctity of human life. In addition, they ignore the fact that, even while union killings declined in 2007, the Colombian military’s share of such killings actually rose.
21-Apr-2008
Workers World
The postponement of a vote in the US Congress is just a temporary victory for Colombian workers, due primarily to the hard work of many Colombian trade unionists who have risked their lives visiting the United States to expose the crimes and violence against union leaders in their country.
25-Mar-2008
Workday Minnesota
Edgar Paez considers himself fortunate to be able to campaign across the United States this month against the proposed US-Colombia free trade deal. Twenty-two members of his union - assassinated for their activism - weren’t so lucky.
