In 2004, under President Álvaro Uribe, members of SINTRAEMCALI, labor rights activists, and human rights defenders were targeted in a detailed assassination plot and defamation campaign known as “Operation Dragon.” The plot was developed by retired members of the military, private contractors, and hired assassins to suppress the union’s advocacy for labor rights and stance against privatization. Many union members have received death threats (fifteen have been forced to flee Cali), some were blacklisted from employment, and eight have been assassinated. When many other Colombian municipalities privatized their utilities, including gas, water, and energy, large numbers of workers were fired and utility prices soared.ĭue in part to its success in leading the resistance to the privatization of Cali’s public utilities, SINTRAEMCALI’s leaders and members have been under attack for over a decade. In the southern Colombian city of Cali, labor and community organizations, such as the Sindicato de las Empresas Municipales de Cali – SINTRAEMCALI (Municipal Workers Union of Cali), have been fighting to retain public control over their utilities.

Since the 1990’s, the Colombian government has pursued an economic policy of market liberalization and privatization of public utilities. In this installment, we meet Jorge Iván Vélez Calvo, the Sindicato de las Empresas Municipales de Cali – SINTRAEMCALI (Municipal Workers Union of Cali), who received multiple death threats, including receiving an invitation to his own funeral in the mail (pictured below). Special thanks to the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) for bringing Jorge's case to our attention and arranging an interview. Our first “Sindicalistas” interview was with Óscar Arturo Orozco. We are grateful to the 21st Century ILGWU Heritage Fund for support for this interview series.

By sharing their stories we hope to shine a light on how violence and threats continue to undermine the fundamental right to freedom of association across Latin America, while also putting governments (and other actors) on notice that the world is watching. Carrying forward USLEAP's long-standing focus on violence against trade unionists in Latin America, Sindicalistas bajo amenaza (“Trade unionists under threat”) highlights cases where urgent action is needed, gives updates on past cases, and features in-depth interviews with the brave men and women who continue to organize workers despite serious risks to their safety.

Sobre la leyenda negra by Iván Vélez