22nd July 2003, International Day of Action, and Boycott Launc

international | anti-capitalism | news report Thursday July 10, 2003 16:57 by Richi - L Y

The World Social Forum has declared the 22nd July, as the International Day of Action against Coca Cola, and the start of a boycott of all its products. These actions are in solidarity with SINALTRAINAL, the Colombian Food and Drinks Workers Union. SINALTRAINAL have suffered the assassination of 8 union leaders, killed by paramilitaries financed by Coca Cola management, as well as the disappearance, arbitrary detention, torture, kidnap and sacking of hundreds more of their workers at Coca Cola bottling plants throughout Colombia.

In a court case in the USA, brought by the United Steelworkers Union, in solidarity with SINALTRAINAL, a judge has ruled that Coca Cola's bottlers have a case to answer, but the multinational refuses to cooperate with the union, and continues its policy of repression. In a similar case in Guatemala during the 80s, Coca Cola stood by and watched as union members within their bottling plants were assassinated by death squads. Coca Cola only acted to protect the lives of their workers when pressured into it by a consumer boycott. For this reason, we are asking you to participate in this boycott, to throw the Coke machine out of your school, college or workplace, to organise in your area, and to demand that Coca Cola be answerable for
the heinous abuses of their workers in Colombia.

From : The Latin America Solidarity Centre www.iol.ie/~lasc