GUATEMALA, June 5 2009: The ITF and transport unions in Guatemala have warned that democracy could be under threat in the country.
The unions this week claimed that powerful business and political interests were seeking to destabilise the democratically elected government led by President Álvaro Colom. The government, they stated, had antagonised these interests by rescinding a number of privatisation plans and making genuine attempts to tackle institutionalised corruption.
In a statement released in tandem with the unions, ITF general secretary David Cockroft said that there were real fears that a coup could be attempted and “the progress made in holding and abiding by democratic elections since 1996” lost. “It is unthinkable,” he stated, “that the country could return to the horrors of the 36-year civil war from which it is still recovering.”
He continued: “We have no automatic reason to unthinkingly support President Colom, although it’s true that our and our Guatemalan unions’ dealings with him have made progress on issues such as human and workers’ rights that would have been unthinkable with previous governments. What we do automatically support is the maintenance of lawful government and democracy in a country that has known too little of either until recent years. It is vital that everyone who respects those concepts stands ready to defend them in Guatemala.”
Oscar González, member of the STEPQ dockers’ union, said that the union was against actions that were clearly intended to destabilise the government and that the country faced “a high risk of coup d’état.” He said that the union was supporting the legitimate and democratic government, which had tried to create real development in the country. New policies had not pleased many groups, however; they sought to enrich themselves at the expense of the Guatemalan people.
In January 2008, soon after his election, Colom promised an ITF delegation that he would look into the case of murdered STEPQ leader Pedro Zamora, who had been gunned down in Puerto Quetzal in 2007. It is believed that the murder was linked to Zamora’s role in opposing plans to privatise the port.
Kilde: www.itfglobal.org
