SINTRAEMCALI OCCUPATION: EYEWITNESS UPDATE 4 The People Inside Robin Hood Tower ---------------------------------- The CAM Tower, Cali, Colombia Thursday, 17th January Late on Wednesday night I managed to get authorisation from the local mayor as a Human Rights Observer to enter the occupied building, a reflection of both the power of the union, and also the contradictory position that the mayor is in. On the one hand he is a mayor of the people, on the other he is locked into the government with all its responsibilities and limitations. This dual position has meant that he is now both friend and foe of the unions' demands, and the balance between the two will no doubt be revealed in the next few days as negotiations begin between the union, the Minister of Labour and the mayor. Moving through the police cordon I slowly walked through no-man's land and as the door opened I was greeted with 'what's up Novelli?' from a voice I recognised but whose face was covered with a balaclava. I smiled and they locked the door. I was inside the 17-storey EMCALI tower, the central administration building of one of the biggest companies in Colombia, and it was in the hands of the workers. As masks were taken off I was greeted with hugs and handshakes, and moved on through the building, up the stairs and towards the general manager's office within which Alexander Lopez Maya, president of SINTRAEMCALI, and the board of directors organise the occupation both inside and outside. Alexander is an example to us all of what it means to be committed to social change. At thirty three, he has already survived three assassination attempts, and leads the union by example with sacrifice, courage and honesty. You can't help but trust him, and he has created a sense of undying loyalty to the cause which an army general would be proud of. He is a charismatic figure, a true working class hero, who has decided that the only way to move forward in Colombia is to stop being afraid. Once you break the fear then the system doesn't look so strong after all, and the impossible seems to become a concrete goal. We chat for a while about family and friends, about Andy and Gloria and the members of the campaign in England, my studies, and, of course, the occupation. He looks remarkably relaxed as he converses with me, directs people around him, answers the phone and fiddles with his video camera. He is the exception that proves the rule, a male multi-tasker who operates on so many levels at the same time that he makes me tired just watching him. He was born to lead the struggle, and all of us that are close to him are prepared to do whatever we can to keep him alive. I meet up with some old friends, and Aydee a colleague from the Human Rights Department of the union suggests a guided tour of the newly named 'Robin Hood Tower', and we are on the move again. I am taken first to the 'barakeros' (the toughest ones). They have spent the last 22 days sleeping on the roof in a makeshift tent, ensuring that the police don't storm the building from the roof. We decide to have an impromptu meeting, and I ask them about how they are doing, and they ask me what is going on with the international solidarity work, and in the world in general. I talk a bit about the picket outside the Colombian Embassy, the meetings, the bulletin, and the contacts in the unions and social organisations in Britain. They remember the people from the delegation that came, and ask about them. We talk of Argentina, of the war in Afghanistan, and where the cracks in the system are appearing. I tell them how they are an example to us all, of dignity in struggle, and that for me, they are for the workers' movement what the Zapatistas were for the armed struggle. A new and exciting organisation that transcends the limits of a trade union and becomes more like a social movement - new social trade unionism which fights not just for higher wages and better conditions for themselves, but places the power of the working class institution at the service of the community. They smile, and I can feel their pride. The whole occupation has been built around the idea of the social role of the union, and the work in the communities is bearing the fruit of solidarity which grows day by day. The fact that all services have been maintained during the occupation is a further example of this: "our struggle is not against the people, but against this government and the corrupt oligarchy" is a phrase often repeated. There have been some complaints, of course, particularly from those nearby residents who have to listen to loudspeakers playing messages of support and popular protest songs to those inside, but what's a few sleepness nights compared with the immensity of the social problems in the city? I carry on on my guided tour. The building wasn't made for all these people, and it is remarkable that everyone seems so calm and relaxed. The whole building is run with precision, with workers having shifts to patrol the building, keep the place clean, man the phones, and deal with the running of the services. I chat with Monica, a telephone operator, and ask her how things are going. She tells me that she misses her family, but that she has a family here too. It hasn't been easy for any of them. The government never thought that Colombians, so famous for their love of family and celebrations, would occupy on Christmas Day. They were wrong. She tells me how beautiful New Year's Eve was when thousands descended on the tower, blocking all the roads, and at midnight lighting candles in solidarity with those inside. I spend some time with Guillermo, a 54 year-old first mechanic who is mopping the floors. He tells me how he worked as a second chef for many years on a boat, and so this life is not so different for him. He has also been in all of the previous three occupations that the union has carried out to defend the company. When he goes on to the balcony he puts a mask and a wig on, and looks completely insane. But all this in one way or another is madness, and the president's nickname is, after all, "El Loco" (the crazy one). It is madness because they are supposed to know their place, and not do these things. I'm glad that I am mad too. Mario Novelli Mario Novelli will be speaking immediately on his return from Colombia at 4pm Saturday 2nd February, CORAS Centre, 161 Lambeth Walk, SE11. (nearest tubes Vauxhall or North Lambeth), the monthly meeting of the Colombia Solidarity Campaign.
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