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NASUWT Ex-President John Rimmer tells Teaching Today of his ‘life-changing experience’ in the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists



(Photo captioned: The mothers of Soacha)



Bravery and courage In Colombia



NASUWT Ex-President John Rimmer has told of his ‘life-changing experience’ as he joined a delegation of senior trade unionists and MPs on a trip to Colombia.



Mr Rimmer was part of a group taken to the country by Justice for Colombia (JFC), a British non-governmental organisation (NGO) that campaigns for human rights, workers’ rights and the search for peace.



He was accompanied by Shadow Justice Minister Robert Flello MP and Shadow Foreign Office Minister Kerry McCarthy MP, along with a number of union general secretaries and deputy general secretaries.



Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists with 49 trade union leaders assassinated in 2010, many of them teacher trade unionists.



Mr Rimmer described the ‘harrowing’ stories of the mothers of Soacha, a group of desperately poor women whose sons have been tortured and executed.



He talked of the pervasive fear of violence that is a constant across society and described the powerful hold the military has on the people.



And he was told of the systematic displacement of indigenous populations and others by paramilitaries with links to large corporations and politicians.



The JFC delegation visited students in Bogotá University, a place that, despite attempts by the security forces to intimidate them into not going, Mr Rimmer said felt the safest of all the areas they visited and was a ‘source of inspiration’.



Clearly moved by his experiences in the country, he questioned whether trade unionists in Britain and Europe would have the bravery to put their lives at risk on a daily basis as their counterparts do.



He said: “It is a humbling experience to realise that to be a trade unionist, to be a human rights activist, to stand up for equality of any sort, you are risking your life.”



Mothers of Soacha



He went on: “To be made aware of the reality of life in Colombia for ordinary people is something that is very powerful.



“The poverty is far worse than we talk about or experience in our own country.”



Mr Rimmer said it was ‘extremely harrowing’ to hear mothers describe the deaths of their children: “I met the mothers of Soacha, whose sons and relatives were lured away by promises of jobs. The army then tortured them and executed them before dressing them in uniforms so they could pass them off as guerrillas to get a small financial reward.



“This was part of the Colombian Army’s ‘benefits’ scheme. It is beyond explanation that because you execute someone you get an extra day’s pay or an extra day’s leave.”



Mr Rimmer urged NASUWT members to support JFC by becoming involved in the organisation and also to write to their MP urging them to sign an early day motion calling for peace in the country.



Members can also lobby their MP to call on the European Union not to sign a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia as long as the Colombian Government continues to abuse the human rights of its citizens.



He said: “They can also write to the Colombian Embassy, write to President Santos, and express their views in local newspapers about the situation.



“Over 50% of those killed in Colombia are teacher trade unionists. The Colombian Government clearly doesn’t want people educated, because they would have a greater knowledge of their entitlement. They would be able to stand up for their democratic rights.”



"It is humbling to realise that to be a trade unionist, you are risking your life."



"Over 50% of those killed in Colombia are teacher trade unionists."



(Photo captioned: During a visit dominated by often sad and upsetting experiences, the delegation was able to play a part in the release from prison of Liliany Obando, a Colombian trade unionist and academic. She was released on bail after nearly four years in ‘preventative detention’ and the NASUWT, along with other members of the delegation, put up her bail money.)



Visit www.nasuwt.org.uk/Colombia