U.S. Flower Company Steals Wages from Colombian Workers

In September 2012, Falcon Farms, a U.S.-based multinational flower company, illegally suspended 71 workers in Colombia for peacefully protesting the company’s failure to pay wages. The suspensions, which targeted only union members, took place after the union lodged an official complaint with the regional Ministry of Labor regarding the unpaid wages. These are the exact type of employer abuses the government of Colombia promised to address when it recently signed a free trade agreement with the United States.

Take a stand against wage theft. Send a letter to the Colombian Labor Minister and Falcon Farms demanding that the union members be reinstated with the back pay they are owed!

Subject:

Your Letter:

Honorable Rafael Pardo Rueda
Minister of Labor, Republic of Colombia
cc: Falcon Farms

Dear Minister Pardo:

I am writing to urge the Colombian government to investigate labor abuses taking place on the Falcon Farms de Colombia S.A. flower plantation in Cajibío, in the state of Cauca.

According to the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores de Colombia (CUT), over 70 members of  the Organización Nacional de  Obreros de la Floricultura Colombiana (ONOF) have been illegally suspended by Falcon Farms management for peacefully protesting the company’s failure to pay over six weeks of wages and other benefits.

As you know, as part of the Labor Action Plan, the government of Colombia has committed to improving its enforcement of its labor laws and creating a culture of respect for labor rights.  The cut flower industry was designated a “priority sector” under the LAP due to its well-documented history of denying its workers, most of whom are women, their fundamental rights, including the right to organize and be free from all forms of gender discrimination.

I urge the Ministry of Labor to take immediate action to ensure that Falcon Farms reinstates the suspended workers with all legally mandated back pay.

Thank you for considering this letter.

Sincerely,

Carmenza Gaitan

Falcon Farms

Rafael Pardo

Minister of Labor, Colombia

Mark Durei

Falcon Farms

International Labor Rights Forum

U.S. Flower Company Steals Wages from Colombian Workers

Carmenza Gaitan

Rafael Pardo

Mark Durei