Ask the Colombian Government to Support Flower Workers In Their Struggle for Fair Wages, Justice, and Dignity!

Photo by International Labor Rights Forum Colombian unions and our partners at the Cactus Corporation, USLEAP, and ILRF have asked us to help them turn Valentine’s Day into International Flower Workers' Day in order to expose the low wages and bad working conditions that face Colombian flower workers. Will you join us by sending a message to the Colombian Labor Minister asking him to crack down on employers who fail to respect worker rights?

Just fill in your information below to send an email right to his inbox!

Subject:

Your Letter:

The Honorable Rafael Pardo Rueda
Minister of Labor
Republic of Colombia
Bogota, Colombia

Dear Minister Pardo:

As millions of flowers from Colombia are sold across the United States today, I choose to celebrate International Flower Workers Day in order to raise awareness about Colombian flower workers’ struggle for fair wages, equal treatment, justice, and dignity. I write to urge the Colombian government to ensure that the basic rights of flower workers are respected and that employers obey the laws governing your country.

I am concerned by reports that flower workers don’t earn enough to support their families, work long hours, suffer sexual harassment, and are fired when they try to organize to improve wages and conditions. Flower unions and the Corporación Cactus in Colombia report that hundreds of workers who were dismissed over a year ago are still owed back pay, severance, and other legally-entitled benefits by Floramerica and the Nannetti Group, whose managers reportedly beat workers when they protested.

As a part of the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement, your government agreed to take key steps to improve workers’ rights as outlined in the Labor Action Plan.  Although I appreciate that some efforts have been made, Colombian unions report that little has changed in reality. Employers still keep trying to evade legally-required benefits and basic rights by treating permanent employees as short-term workers. People continue to be fired for organizing. And union members keep dying.

I respectfully urge the Colombian government to implement the spirit and the letter of the Labor Action Plan.  Please strengthen and enforce measures to ensure that employers do not treat regular workers as temporary workers in order to avoid their legal obligations. I also ask that you mediate a resolution between the workers and Floramerica that ensures that they are paid what they are legally due.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Minister Rafael Pardo Rueda

Colombian Ministry of Labor

Bogota,
CO

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Ask the Colombian Government to Support Flower Workers In Their Struggle for Fair Wages, Justice, and Dignity!

Minister Rafael Pardo Rueda

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