"Colombian union leaders assaulted and fired by Prosegur", 27 Nov 2014

SINTRAVALORES, the security union of Prosegur workers in Colombia, reported that yesterday, one of their union leaders was physically assaulted and another dismissed. Hector Fabio Bermeo, President of SINTRAVALORES in Neiva, Colombia, was punched in the mouth yesterday by Prosegur manager Isidro Gasca, head of security for the company in Neiva...This incident follows a series of allegations of harassing events from Prosegur earlier in the year. UNI raised these with Prosegur’s CEO, Christian Gut Revoredo and President, Helena Revoredo, in letters dated June 25 and August 4 and 26, 2014.  The company did not respond...UNI was told that Prosegur held [union representative] Melendez for three hours as the company repeatedly tried to convince him to resign from the union. When he refused, he was fired by the company on what appears to be a trumped up charge that he refused to change his worksite...Yesterday’s assault and dismissal follow a sham investigation into allegations of human rights violations conducted by Juan-Luis Martín, Prosegur’s Director of Labor Relations...Ongoing reports continue of union activists in South America who are punished for exercising trade union rights.  The international community expresses its outrage and demands accountability and an end to the abuse of workers.