Colombian autoworkers take fight to the U.S.
Strikes, demonstrations and protests are at a record pace in Colombia this year as workers seek a bigger share of wealth generated by the country’s expanding economy. After 50 years of guerrilla warfare, the government’s success in weakening illegal armed groups has drawn investment and rewarded businessmen, while the gap between rich and poor remains considerable, according to the World Bank’s Gini index of income distribution.
Ricardo Esquivia, a renowned Colombian human rights lawyer, peace advocate, religious leader and a great friend to Witness for Peace, will be arrested by the military on false charges of being a guerrilla if we don't stop it.
Demands include popular participation in the peace process, an end to Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) that threaten the livelihoods of family farmers and workers, and government fulfillment of unkept promises for infrastructure development and Peasant Reserve Zones in rural areas.
Tens of thousands of miners began their strike nearly a month ago, but it wasn't until this week that other sectors, including health workers, joined in. Also participating were some workers from Colombia's three most powerful labor federations, whose members oversee such unions as teachers and oil workers.
Tens of thousands of Colombians have taken to the streets of Bogotá in support of peace talks aimed at ending Latin America's longest-running insurgency
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