Stop the privatisation of EMCALI, Colombia. Keep water, electricity and telecomms public
A united movement between the trade union SINTRAEMCALI and community organisations in the city of Cali, Colombia has fought for several years to prevent the privatisation of water, electricity and telecommunications services provided by EMCALI municipal corporation, but now the government has moved to liquidate EMCALI.
SINTRAEMCALI has brought the workers and the community they serve together, with voluntary work brigades and education programmes, in a common front to defend public services. And the union has pioneered research and action against corruption that was siphoning off income from the corporation.
EMCALI has been forced into debt by two ill-conceived projects. The modern PTAR waste water plant has just come into production, treating water before it is passed back to the Cauca River. Costs have escalated from $50 million to $160 million. Since most of the benefit will be felt downstream, it was agreed that 80% of the payments would be met by central government, but it has not paid. Another project, TermoCali, was set up by the US multinational Intergen. TermoCali supplies EMCALI with electricity at exorbitant prices much higher than market rates. Honouring this one sided and corrupt deal costs EMCALI over $4 million a month.
Most of Colombia's public services have already been privatised. The consequence has been increased charges up to threefold. There is a widespread public health problem after privatisation on Colombia's Atlantic Coast because of the lack of piped drinking water to poor areas.
Eight SINTRAEMCALI members have been assassinated. More generally, Colombian trade unionists suffered 184 assassinations in 2002 alone.
The union's campaign culminated in a 36 day occupation of Cali's central administrative building starting on Christmas Day 2001 that attracted city wide and international support. The outcome of this and a second occupation of the Superintendent of Public Services in Colombia's capital Bogotá was an Agreement signed on 29 January 2002 by the then government of Andres Pastrana guaranteeing that EMCALI's status as a state corporation would be protected. The national government agreed a high level anti-corruption inquiry, and that there would be no increase in charges.
The new government of president Alvaro Uribe Vélez has broken that Agreement. On 23 January 2003 Uribe's Superintendent of Public Services issued Resolution No.000141 which formally liquidated EMCALI, preparing it for privatisation. EMCALI has been put in the hands of the receivers, but because of the strength of popular feeling against it the liquidation decision has not yet been fully implemented.
Armoured police surround EMCALI's plants while the workers inside maintain 24 hour guard to prevent forceful entry. The union activists and their families are being filmed and raided by the security police, and paramilitary death squads have declared SINTRAEMCALI's leaders as targets.
There is an International Week of Action from 10-16 March to save EMCALI and its public services. An international Public Hearing will take place in Cali on 12 March. Help stop this violent privatisation.
For more information:
www.colombiasolidarity.org.uk
Standard Letter ENGLISH
President of Colombia,
Alvaro Uribe Velez,
As a concerned member of the international community, I call on your government to revoke Resolution No.000141 of 23 January 2003 by the Superintendent of Public Services that will lead to the liquidation, capitalisation and privatisation of EMCALI EICE.ESP.
Furthermore, I call on the Colombian government to respect the integral human rights of the workers, activists, and members of the Cali community who have united in defence of EMCALI as a state owned public enterprise.
We fully support the International Week of Action called for the 10th to the 15th of March, 2003 in Santiago de Cali, and await the outcome of the Public Hearing on the situation of EMCALI with great interest.
Yours sincerely,
CARTA EN ESPAÑOL
Presidente de la Republica de Colombia
Dr. ALVARO URIBE VELEZ
Los abajo firmantes, representantes de la comunidad internacional, se oponen a la liquidación, capitalización y privatización de EMCALI EICE, ESP, y exige al gobierno colombiano la revocatoria de la resolución No.000141.
Así mismo exigimos al gobierno colombiano el respeto integral los Derechos Humanos de los trabajadores, activistas y miembros de la comunidad caleña los cuales se han unido para defender EMCALI como una empresa pública del estado.
Apoyamos totalmente la semana de solidaridad del 10th al 15 de marzo en Santiago de Cali y esperamos el resultado de la Audiencia Defensorial sobre la situación de EMCALI con gran interés.
presidencia.gov.co; rdh