Video still: Nelson Javier Alarcón.
On October 16, the Central Union of Workers (CUT) in Colombia announced that Nelson Javier Alarcón Suárez had been elected its new president.
Radio Hoy notes: “One of the main messages of the pronouncement was the decision to maintain opposition to the Government of Abelardo de la Espriella.” Specifically, the statement says: “Maintain the unwavering decision to oppose the government of Abelardo de la Espriella and the fascist regime he is implementing.”
Infobae reports: “In October 2018, Nelson Javier Alarcón Suárez assumed the presidency of the Colombian Federation of Education Workers [known as FECODE], an organization that brings together teachers from the public sector and is one of the most representative subsidiaries of the CUT.”
“During his time in the federation, Alarcón became one of the union spokespersons linked to the national mobilizations of 2019 and 2021. In those years he participated in the activities of the National Strike Committee, a space in which trade union and social organizations converged to promote days of protest and present demands to the Government.”
Video still: Alarcón at mobilization in October 2018.
That Infobae article adds: “His public exposure was accompanied by complaints about threats against his life and that of his family. Due to this situation, he had to temporarily leave Colombia in mid-2021, according to the background of his union career.”
In its article about the election of Alarcón to lead CUT, Portafolio reports: “The union confirmed that it will maintain social mobilization and presence in the streets as a central mechanism of action, along with its participation in institutional scenarios such as the Permanent Commission for the Coordination of Wage and Labor Policies (CPCPSL) and the Congress of the Republic.”
Solidarity with Yessika Hoyos
The first public statement from Alarcón on the CUT Facebook page is his expression of solidarity with Yessika Hoyos.
In this video, Alarcón says: “From the Central Union of Workers and as president of it, all our solidarity and accompaniment to Dr. Yessika Hoyos, member of CAJAR, who has been a victim of threat, stigmatization and persecution. We reiterate all our solidarity. At the same time, we demand the government of Abelardo de la Espriella provide all the guarantees of protection and security for her and her whole family and at the same time, I leave those directly responsible for this reprehensible situation and that we reject from the Central Union of Workers.”
The father of Yessika Hoyos, Jorge Darío Hoyos Franco, a Colombian labour leader, was assassinated on March 3, 2001. At that time, he worked as an advisor and organizer for the national teachers’ union, FECODE, along with other unions.
Peace Brigades International has accompanied the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers’ Collective (CAJAR) since 1995. Yessika Hoyos joined CAJAR in 2001 as a law student. The AFL-CIO has noted: “In 2006, she founded an organization, along with the relatives of other slain trade unionists and human rights advocates, to build a social movement that will preserve the memory of the murdered and will help bring an end to the impunity brought on by a failed prosecutorial and justice system.”
The CUT
The Central Union of Workers (CUT) is the largest union federation in Colombia representing about 600,000 workers. Nearly 800 members of CUT were murdered between 1987 and 1992.
The Central Union of Workers (CUT), along with the Confederation of Workers of Colombia (CTC) and the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) in Colombia, is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
The Canadian Labour Congress is also affiliated with ITUC.
