Daniel Aguirre Piedrahita, the General Secretary of Colombia’s Nation Union of Sugar Cane Cutters (SINALCORTEROS)…was assassinated on April 27…The Colombian government has condemned the killing. Deputy Minister of Labour David Luna Sanchez supported the Interior Ministry’s Protection Unit director’s call for an investigation. Aguirre, 35,…fought for trade union recognition from sugar mill employers who consider them self-employed independent contractors. He led the strike that led to the creation of SINALCORTEROS, now an affiliate of the International Food and Agricultural Workers’ Association (IUF) [and] strikes…in 2008 which…resulted in collective agreements and labour pacts...Recently, he had been pushing for revisions to Colombia’s labour statutes to raise them to International Labor Organisation (ILO) standards.