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Coca-Cola Union Threatened

Information provided by US/LEAP.

The historic Coca-Cola union in Guatemala, STECSA, is deadlocked in negotiations over demands that would erode the conditions currently protected by the existing collective agreement. Eight union leaders are facing firings, which is in violation of the current contract. The company, PANAMCO, an anchor bottler of Coca-Cola, is also threatening the union's legal right to strike and Coca-Cola is threatening to sue the union. STECSA emerged from a violent struggle in the 1980's, which included surviving systematic extermination of its elected leadership. The struggle received support from human rights and worker rights supporters across the United States and Europe and succeeded in forcing Coca-Cola to take responsibility for respect for worker rights in the Embotelladora Central plant, which led to the successful formation of the union and the settling of a collective bargaining agreement. STECSA and the international fight supporting it became an inspiration and model for international solidarity.

Fighting to Keep their Rights

The union and PANAMCO have been in negotiations for a new contract since February 2001. The union has battled proposals by the company that would substantially reduce the rights and benefits previously won by the union. Throughout the negotiations, the workers have suffered intimidation tactics including illegal reductions of salary, wage suspensions, and neglect of machinery maintenance that creates an unsafe working environment. PANAMCO, a bottling company that bottles exclusively for Coca-Cola in plants across Central America, Venezuela, and Mexico, took over the ownership of the Embotelladora Central plant in 1998 and the union has had problems with the company ever since. Coca-Cola owns about a fourth of PANAMCO's stock and controls the beverage formula and label. Recently, the negotiations have become deadlocked over core contract demands, including the right to grievance procedures. In an intimidation tactic, the company has initiated legal proceedings that would allow the firings of eight union leaders claiming these workers have been absent from work. The current contract provides time off of work for these leaders to do union business, which is the reason for their absences. When the union declared it would strike over the firing of these leaders, PANAMCO filed a court action asking that STECSA be denied the right to conduct a legal strike, alleging that the workers' vote authorizing strike action should have included confidential and management employees. This is a blatant attempt to interfere with the union's legal right to strike. In another intimidation tactic, on September 19, 2002, the Coca-Cola company's lawyers threatened to sue STECSA for using the Coke decal in a sticker produced by the union that advocates for the right to strike. The company is citing violation of intellectual property rights. The sticker reads, "Yes to the Strike! -- Coca-Cola union -- Yes to the Strike!" The company insists that the union immediately stop using the sticker with the Coca-Cola decal or face litigation. STECSA and the International Union of Foodworkers (IUF), the secretariat to which the union is affiliated, are calling for international support for this historic union. Sample letters can be found on the IUF website at www.iuf.org.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Contact Coca-Cola: Remind Coca-Cola of the international fight for STECSA and worker rights in the 1980's. Notify the company of your knowledge of the threats to the basic rights of the historic STECSA union. Urge Coca-Cola to take responsibility for the conduct of its bottlers and intervene effectively with PANAMCO to respect worker rights. Also urge the company to take every step possible to ensure that no further violence occurs against Coke workers in Colombia. Ask Coke to take a global stand for respect for worker rights by negotiating a global worker rights agreement wit the IUF and its unions. Contact: Mr. Douglas Daft, Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company, One Coca-Cola Plaza, Atlanta, GA 30313. Tel: 404-676-2121; Fax: 404-515-7099.

Contact Panamco in Guatemala: Contact the company to express your concern over the treatment of the STECSA union and demand the company 1) withdraw the dismissal cases against the eight local union representatives 2) show a willingness to reach a fair settlement in the negotiations with STECSA which fully respects the rights achieved by the union through previous collective bargaining processes (often conducted in extremely difficult and dangerous circumstances); and 3) stop interfering with the workers' constitutional right to democratically decide on whether or not to take strike action if required. Contact: Mr. Carlos EduardoTrigueros, Panamco Beverage Inc. Fax: 011-502 442 0966; E-mail: panamco@sinfo.net

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