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Guatemala: Harassment of illegally dismissed workers from the Nueva Florencia Farm in 1997

Beginning of Action: 06-02-2009 - End of Action: 20-03-2009

In December 2008 Eswin Ranferí López Castro was intimidated and his house partially destroyed by security personnel of the Ottmar S.A. enterprise, owner of the Nueva Florencia farm, which is located in the Chuvá zone, Colombia Cota Cuca, Quetzaltenango. Mr. López Castro is the speaker for 32 farm workers who were unjustly dismissed in 1997 because they wanted to organize themselves in a labor union and who won all ensuing verdicts up to the Constitutional Court of Guatemala. Notwithstanding, the workers are still without job or compensation, which means without any resources to be able to feed themselves. 

Background

The 32 rural men and women working on the coffee farm Nueva Florencia were illegally dismissed in March 1997 when they organized a labor union. The group won their case fighting against the dismissal at every legal level up to the Constitutional Court of Guatemala, which declared its judgments on both January 2000 and April 2003. The firm sentence in this legal case is that the male and female workers have to be reinstated immediately and that all salary payments withheld since 1997 must be paid to them. However, the families in question are still without work and without any resources to feed themselves, as the Bruderer Berger family, owner of the Ottmar S.A. enterprise (which owns Nueva Florencia) refuses to carry out the legal sentences.  

 In view of this attitude by the owners, two farms have been confiscated which are under the jurisdiction of Nueva Florencia, in order to be sold by auction.  The Ottmar enterprise demanded to annul the auction order, which was declared unfounded by the Coatepeque court. Since May 2008, the owners have created a climate of intimidation and harassment against the families of the workers. The partial destruction of the house of Mr. Lopez Castro and threats of eviction are the latest intimidation efforts in the long process of the workers of the Nueva Florencia farm, to exercise their right to food. 

For many years FIAN has been following this case and has also recommended and supported a petition to the Interamerican Human Rights Commission relating to the Nueva Florencia farm.  During a meeting on October 23, 2008, which discussed the Nueva Florencia case, the Commission recommended to initiate a working group dealing with the inefficiency of labor justice of the legal bodies:  the Labor Ministry, General Labor Inspection, Public Ministry, Ministry of the Interior, National Public Prosecutor, representatives of specific cases mentioned during the meeting,  and NGOs.  

It is very important to write to the president of Guatemala, Lic.  Álvaro Colom, asking him to intervene directly in this case, with the intention to achieve the immediate implementation of the legal sentences, in particular the payment of withheld benefits and salaries, and also to call his particular attention to the working group of legal organizations and ministries of Guatemala which should begin carrying out the efforts stipulated by the Interamerican Human Rights Commission. Moreover, the President must be asked to protect the victims against any manner of threat. Please send a copy of the letter to the Secretary of Agricultural Affairs and to COPREDEH (Presidential Human Rights Commission).

FIAN Mandate

Guatemala is State Party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and has therefore assumed the obligation to respect, protect and fulfill the rights recognized in this treaty, in particular the Right to Food and to protect those women and men who, when advocating  for these rights, are suffering intimidation and violence.

Call for Action

It is most urgent to write to the President of the Republic of Guatemala in an international action and to ask him to intervene directly, in order to achieve an immediate implementation of the court sentences, in particular of the payment of benefits and salaries, and the protection against any kind of threat to the victims. Please send copies to the Secretary of Agricultural Affairs and to COPREDEH.

FIAN Urgent Action 0901GTM

Original Letter:

Excelentísmo Sr. Presidente,

Por medio de la presente, me dirijo a Usted para manifestar mi indignación por la nueva agresión en diciembre 2008 (destrucción parcial de su vivienda)  contra el Sr. Edwin Ranferí López Castro,  vocero de las trabajadoras y los trabajadores de la finca Nueva Florencia en el municipio Colomba, Departamento Quetzaltenango, que fueron despedidos ilegalmente en 1997. Esta finca pertenece a la empresa OTTMAR S.A., propiedad de la familia Bruderer Berger.
Según mis informaciones, el 19 de marzo de 1997, los 32 trabajadores fueron despedidos por haber fundado un sindicato. Han pasado por todas las instancias judiciales, y en todas las sentencias respectivas se ordenaron la reinstalación inmediata de los trabajadores y el pago de los salarios retenidos desde marzo de 1997. La Corte de Constitucionalidad de Guatemala ha emitido en dos ocasiones fallos definitivos sobre el caso, confirmando las sentencias anteriores a favor de los trabajadores (con fechas 4-01-2000 y 30-04-2003). En el transcurso de 2006, ante la actitud negativa de la parte patronal, se han embargado dos fincas de la parte patronal, anexos a la Nueva Florencia y el 11 de mayo se realizó la diligencia de remate. Sin embargo, a más de 11 años del despido ilegal, la parte patronal se niega a aceptar y cumplir con lo ordenado por la justicia y ha creado un clima de intimidaciones y amenazas en contra de las familias de trabajadores. El acontecimiento arriba descrito era la última agresión por parte de empleados de la empresa OTTMAR S.A. contra el vocero del grupo.
El caso de la finca Nueva Florencia también ha sido tratado en una audiencia solicitada ante la CIDH (Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos) el 23 de octubre de 2008, la cual ha propuesto la creación de una mesa de Ineficacia de la Justicia Laboral al Organismo Judicial, Ministerio de Trabajo, Inspección General de Trabajo, Ministerio Público, Ministerio de Gobernación, Procuraduría General de la Nación, Representantes de Casos Específicos como los mencionados en audiencia (en particular el caso Nueva Florencia), Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil, la cual debería empezar su trabajo hasta finales de enero de 2009.
Guatemala es Estado parte del Pacto Internacional de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales, por lo que ha asumido la obligación de respetar, proteger y garantizar los derechos reconocidos en este tratado, en particular el Derecho a la Alimentación y la Vivienda, y atender de manera especial la situación de aquellas y aquellos quienes al defender estos derechos, sufren intimidaciones y violencia.

Por lo tanto,  le solicito Sr. Presidente, adoptar las medidas necesarias para garantizar:
-        que la parte patronal acepte lo ordenado por las instancias judiciales máximas de Guatemala
-        que la parte patronal pague las prestaciones y los salarios dejados de percibir a los trabajadores y las trabajadoras ilegalmente despedidos (sea en efectivo o en un monto equivalente de tierra);
-        que el Estado preste una protección adecuada contra cualquier tipo de amenaza contra los miembros de este grupo de trabajadores y sus líderes;
-        que la mesa propuesta por CIDH sea instalada como previsto y que trate y cumpla con el caso de la finca Nueva Florencia.

Atentamente,

Translated Letter:

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Your Excellency, Mr. President,
I would like to express my indignation about the latest aggression (partial destruction of his house) in December 2008 against Mr.  Edwin Ranferí López Castro,  speaker for the women and men who had been working on the Nueva Florencia farm in the municipality of  Colomba, Quetzaltenango Department, and who were illegally dismissed in 1997. This farm is property of Ottmar S.A., owned by the Bruderer Berger family.

According to the information received, the 32 workers were dismissed on March 19, 1997,  because they founded a labor union. All court sentences ordered the immediate re-instatement of the workers and the payment of salaries withheld since March 1997. The Constitutional Court of Guatemala confirmed the sentences given in favor of the workers (dating from 4-01-2000 and 30-04-2003). During 2006, two farms of the owners adjoining Nueva Florencia were confiscated and on May 11 an auction of these farms began. However, more than 11 years after the illegal dismissal of the workers, the owners are still not complying with the court orders and have created a climate of threats against the workers and their families. The aforementioned incidence was the latest aggression carried out by persons employed by Ottmar S.A against the speaker of the group.

The case of the Nueva Florencia farm was also discussed in an official meeting of the Interamerican Human Rights Commission on October 23, 2008, which proposed to create a working group on the inefficiency of Labor Justice, Ministry of Labor, General Labor Inspection, Public Ministry, Ministry of the Interior, National Public Prosecutor, representatives of specific cases (in particular the case of Nueva Florencia), and NGOs, which should begin to function at the end of January 2009.

  Guatemala is State Party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and has therefore assumed the obligation to respect, protect and fulfill the rights recognized in this treaty, in particular the Right to Food and to Housing, and to care especially for those women and men who, because they are defending these rights, suffer from intimidation and violence.     Therefore, I ask you, Mr. President, to take the necessary measures to guarantee: -That the owners accept what has been ordered by the highest legal entities of Guatemala; -That the owners pay the benefits and salaries which were withheld from the women and men workers who were illegally dismissed (either in cash or in an equivalent quantity of land); -That the State will provide an adequate protection for the members of this group of workers and their leaders against any kind of threat;  -That the working group proposed by the ICHR will be created as intended and will deal with the Nueva Florencia case.
Yours sincerely,


Recipients:

Lic. Álvaro Colom
Presidente de la República de Guatemala (cbarrientos@presidencia.gob.gt)
Ing. Alfonso de León
Secretaría de Asuntos Agrarios
Ruth del Valle
Presidenta COPREDEH (Ruth_delvalle@copredeh.gob.gt)