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UNCLAS PARTO 020504 
 
(Note:  the unique message record number (MRN) has been modified.  The original MRN was 08 PARTO 000006, which duplicates a previous PARTO telegram number.) 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
DEPT. PLEASE PASS TO USTR, AARON ROSENBERG, AND BENNETT 
HARMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OVIP RICE CONDOLEEZZA ETRD ECIN EINV ELAB
PGOV, PHUM, PREL, PETER, VE, CO 
SUBJECT: Secretary Rice's Meeting with Colombian Pro-FTA 
Labor Leaders 
 
 
¶1. (U) January 25, 2008; 8:15 a.m.; Medellin, Colombia. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Participants: 
 
United States 
The Secretary 
Ambassador William R. Brownfield 
Representative Melissa Bean 
Representative Eliot Engel 
Representative Jane Harman 
Representative Alcee Hastings 
Representative Ron Klein 
Representative Rick Larsen 
Representative Solomon Ortiz 
Representative Ed Perlmutter 
Representative David Scott 
A/S Jeffrey Bergner, H 
A/S Sean McCormack, PA 
A/S Thomas Shannon, WHA 
A/S Daniel Sullivan, EEB 
S Chief of Staff Brian Gunderson 
Director of House Affairs Scott Kamins 
Deputy Executive Secretary Kevin Whitaker 
Adam Lenert, Embassy Notetaker 
 
COLOMBIA 
Javier Ramrez Cordoba, President, IMUSA Workers' Union 
Walter David Navarro Giraldo, President, Public 
Professionals of Medellin Union 
Luis German Restrepo Maldonado, President of the Packing 
Company Union 
Luis Fernando Cadavid Mesa, President of the Textile 
Workers' Union of Antioquia 
Jose Gustavo Palacio Moreno, Regional President, Mining 
and Energy Workers' Union Sintramienergetica 
Enrique Albeiro Franco Valderrama, Vice President of the 
National Union of Fruit Industry, Agro-industrial and 
Fishing Workers 
Gerardo de Jesus Sanchez Zapata, President of the Textile 
Workers' Union of Rio Negro 
Libardo de Jes"s Botero Campuzano, Union Advisor, First 
Thought Foundation of Colombia 
Antonio Lopez Lebrun, Mining Union Advisor 
Carlos Sierra, Union Advisor, First Thought Foundation of 
Colombia 
 
¶3. (SBU) SUMMARY. Union leaders from several of 
Colombia's export-oriented economic sectors said their 
 
 
members would benefit from the increased trade generated 
by the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Act (TPA). These 
unionists disagreed with claims that the Colombian 
government did not do enough to combat violence against 
unionists and impunity. They explained that the labor 
confederations that oppose the TPA consist largely of 
public sector workers who reject free trade for 
ideological reasons. They added that the confederations 
wish to deny Uribe passage of the TPA because of their 
alliance with opposition political parties. The union 
representatives said they seek legislative changes to 
provide increased safeguards for workers, but added that 
they expect implementation of those changes in Colombia's 
upcoming legislative session. They stressed that workers 
would gain nothing by blocking the TPA's approval. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
---------------------------------- 
TPA VITAL TO JOB GROWTH, STABILITY 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) Union representatives from the fruit, flower, 
metalworking, packing, gold mining, and textile industries 
voiced support for a U.S.-Colombia TPA to Secretary Rice 
and her delegation in a January 25 meeting. The union 
leaders said they represented over 80,000 workers from 
their specific unions and claimed the support of many more 
whose unions could not attend. Sanchez said Colombian 
workers would benefit from increased trade with the United 
States. The TPA would give Colombia permanent duty-free 
access to U.S. markets, ensuring job stability and growth 
of export industries. Botero said the Colombian and U.S. 
economies appear more complementary than competitive, 
noting that the United States does not mass-produce 
Colombian exports such as bananas, coffee, and emeralds. 
He emphasized that Colombia is not a significant consumer 
of these goods and these industries depend on access to 
U.S. markets for their "survival." Likewise, Colombia 
does not produce U.S. exports such as industrial 
machinery. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
OPPOSITION BASED ON IDEOLOGICAL, NOT ECONOMIC INTERESTS 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Restrepo said Colombia's three main labor 
confederations rejected free trade on purely ideological 
grounds, adding that they favor protectionist trade 
 
 
polices to stop the "imperial invasion" of the North 
Americans. In addition, he claimed the confederations 
have no real economic basis for rejecting the agreement. 
The United Confederation of Workers, Colombia's largest 
labor confederation, largely consists of school teachers 
and other public sector workers who have no real stake in 
trade issues. Cadavid pointed out that the labor 
confederations have historically allied themselves with 
opposition parties and want to deny Uribe passage of the 
TPA for political reasons. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
UNIONS: LABOR SITUATION HAS GREATLY IMPROVED 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The labor representatives unanimously agreed 
that, while there was still more to be done, the Colombian 
government had made significant advances in its efforts to 
protect labor leaders, prosecute perpetrators of violence 
against unionists, and guarantee the rights of workers to 
organize and bargain collectively. Palacio said that in 
the past union members in his home town frequently got 
caught in the crossfire between guerrillas and 
paramilitaries. Thanks to Uribe's security policies, not 
a single unionist in the government protection program has 
been killed in the past three years, and perpetrators of 
crimes have been brought to justice. Navarro criticized 
the confederations for refusing to recognize the dramatic 
security improvements over the last five years. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
TPA PRESENTS OPPORTUNITY FOR GREATER LABOR PROTECTIONS 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) The labor delegates explained that they viewed 
the TPA as an opportunity to push for further reforms, 
noting that the Colombian government has responded to 
their concerns. The government introduced legislation in 
Congress that transfers authority for deciding the 
legality of a strike from the Ministry of Social 
Protection to independent labor judges, requires mediation 
before submitting labor disputes to binding arbitration, 
and require workers' cooperatives to pay social security 
and other benefits to their workers. Navarro said 
Congress will consider this legislation in a special 
February session. 
RICE