At Geneva, the Colombian delegation presented the results of the past year in labor rights guarantees and regulations of the national labor legislation with international agreements. The Vice Minister of Labor Relations Ana Lucía Noguera and the Ambassador of the Mission before the United Nations Angelino Garzón, led this delegation.

Geneva, Switzerland, June 9 (SP). Colombia presented the report of workers rights progress to the Committee of Standards of the International Labor Organization (ILO), at the 98 International Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Colombian delegation presented the results of the past year in labor rights guarantees and regulations of the national labor legislation with international agreements. The Vice Minister of Labor Relations Ana Lucía Noguera and the Ambassador of the Mission before the United Nations Angelino Garzón, led this delegation.

They also presented the balance of protection measures for workers, which shows a decrease in the violation of rights of trade union members.

At the end of the session, the Committee of Standards highlighted the actions of the Colombian Government to reinforce judicial institutions as the General Attorney’s Office, the creation of a fund for the Victim’s Compensation, the 1210 Law which allows judges to estimate if a strike is illegal, and jurisprudence development of the Constitutional Court for the registration of trade union organizations.   

A well, the Committee recommended some actions to advance in the investigations and convictions for human right violations against trade union members and also to keep the assistance of the ILO in order to strength triple dialogue and technical cooperation.

The Colombian delegation accepted the recommendations and reiterated the workers, unions and governments that were at the meeting, its commitment to reinforce the protection programs and keep working to eradicate any violence that could affect trade unions.

In that way, the Government condemned the murder of 14 trade union members in the first five months of 2009, and asked judicial authorities to promptly investigate the circumstances of the case to penalize the authors. 

Ambassador Angelino Garzón pointed, at his speech to the Committee of Standards, that “as long as there is one single case of violence in Colombia, of intolerance, impunity, or one single case of violence against union members, businessmen, journalists, indigenous, judges or citizens we can not be satisfied”.  

Colombia appreciated the honest dialogue with the Committee of Standards and the recognition from the International community.