Over 6-11 November, a Justice for Colombia trade union delegation visited Colombia to observe the current human and labour rights situation in the country. The delegation met with representatives of many Colombian and international organisations, as well as figures from the human rights and social movement, and discussed issues related to the implementation of the 2016 peace agreement, the 2026 elections, and the human and labour rights situation.
JFC is the official campaign on Colombia of the trade union movements in Britain and Ireland. Formed of 13 trade unionists from the two countries, the delegation members were Steve Gillan (POA General Secretary and TUC President), Kevin Callinan (FORSA General Secretary), Fran Heathcote (PCS General Secretary), Mick Whelan ( ASLEF General Secretary), Kate Bell (TUC Assistant General Secretary), Wayne Broom (NASUWT President), Mark Rowe (FBU National Executive), Nigel Gibson (ASLEF District Organiser), Phil Hannant (POA National Executive), Justin McCamphill (ICTU former President and NASUWT lead official in Northern Ireland), Deborah Yapicioz (Senior Activist UNISON Northern Ireland), Gerard Stilliard (Thompsons Solicitors) and Ana Garmilla (FORSAExecutive Assistant).
Delegates met a wide array of political and social actors in Bogota, Colombia’s capital. Among them were many trade unionists, such as Fabio Arias, president of the CUT Colombia federation, which works closely with JFC, and several trade unions affiliated to the CUT, including from the sectors of transport, public servants, healthcare and oil. They also met Labour Minister Antonio Sanguino. In these meetings, delegates were told about the progressive government’s efforts to improve worker rights – historically dismal in Colombia – through its labour reform bill amid the political right’s ongoing quest to dilute the bill’s contents or block it completely. While the bill was passed earlier this year, key articles around fundamental trade union principles of collective bargaining and the right to strike were removed under right-wing pressure. Whether they can be reinserted into the remove remains in doubt.
The delegation travelled to two regions badly impacted by conflict both historically and currently, Catatumbo and Cauca. In the former, they visited a farm housing families of former FARC guerrillas in the peace process who are growing crops and rearing buffaloes. Some residents had been displaced from the transitional zone Caño Indio in Catatumbo by January’s eruption of violence there, in which six former guerrillas at Caño Indio were killed alongside at least 80 other people with tens of thousands more forced from their homes. They heard about the community’s concerns over security and the slow implementation of the peace agreement: although this has accelerated under Petro, crucial areas of rural reform and provisions such as housing and land are significantly behind schedule, largely due to the previous government’s disregard for the peace process.
Delegates heard from representatives of local indigenous and campesino communities in Cauca, where violence has claimed more lives since the peace agreement than in any other part of the country, with indigenous activists particularly targeted. As well as drugs production, illegal gold mining is a major form of illicit economic activity which sees armed groups come into direct confrontation with communities that oppose their presence. Both Cauca and Catatumbo are examples of why advancing implementation of the 2016 agreement and resolving ongoing conflict must be urgent priorities both for the current government and its successor, which will take office next year.
In Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, the delegation heard from former FARC guerrillas who have established the ECOMUN cooperative, which aims to support former guerrillas to establish productive economic projects which can provide sustainable livelihoods as civilians. As with many other grassroots groups in Colombia, the cooperative is operating on low resources which limits its ability to meet the needs of the many former guerrillas who are involved. Members hope that establishing a permanent headquarters in Cali can ensure they are able to expand their work.
Delegates also met the families of young people imprisoned on false charges under the previous goverment over their participation in 2021’s massive protests against inequality and state violence. While most youngsters have since been released, many of them still suffer severe trauma and other psychological consequences of their incarceration. Others have been forced into exile due to receiving threats after they were freed. JFC has campaigned to support the prisoners since they were locked up in the Duque government’s brutal repression of the protests.
Most delegation meetings took place in Bogota, where, aside from trade unionists, our group spoke to human rights groups the Permanent Committee for Human Rights (CPDH) and the Social Movement for Peace. Both groups raised concerns over attacks on activists and potential violence around upcoming elections, which in the past have seen candidates targeted and communities coerced into voting a certain way.
Former president Juan Manuel Santos and former interior minister Juan Fernando Cristo, who JFC brought to September’s Labour Party Conference and who has announced his candidacy for the 2026 presidential election, also met our delegation in Bogota. Santos spoke clearly about the urgent need to ensure implementation of the 2016 peace agreement that his government negotiated with the FARC. He also strongly criticised the Duque government for its disregard towards the agreement, which has seen armed groups proliferate and insecurity rise as a result. Santos also welcomed the international community’s support for the peace process, which remains vital today.
Inside the Casa Nariño, Colombia’s presidential palace, the delegation had an extended meeting with representatives of several state bodies involved in building peace and human rights. These included the Presidency’s Implementation Unit, the Department of Planning, the Ministry of Interior, the High Commissioner for Peace, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Victims’ Unit and the Foreign Ministry. They provided detailed analysis of how the progressive government has advanced peacebuilding and related issues such as access to land and the rights of women and minority groups. While the government has made major efforts in these areas, the scale of some of the challenges it faces were evident.
Delegations such as this form a core component of JFC’s campaign work and develop our trade union partners’ involvement with Colombia, building links of solidarity with unions and grassroots organisations, as well as providing direct experience of the situation on the ground. JFC would like to thank all the delegates who took part and their unions. We would also like to particularly thank the many Colombians who took time to meet our delegation and share their experiences and analysis with us.