Flower Worker Strike in Colombia Ends Successfully

On the May 6th, 2009, workers from the newly formed union SINTRAFLORES, who are employed by two flower companies, Camino Real and Degaflores, went on strike because their employers had not paid their salaries or benefits. Managers had asked workers to wait until May 5th for these already late payments, but failed to meet that commitment. Late salary payments violate Colombian labor law. As a result, workers struck.

The Camino Real company, a member of the Colombian flower exporters and growers association ASOCOLFLORES, is owned by German Torres Lozano, and reportedly known for longstanding abuses of workers' rights. ASOCOLFLORES has been one of the entities at the forefront of the lobbying efforts for the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. They recently began a campaign within the U.S. marketing their flowers as environmentally and socially responsible. Though advances in technology have made it possible for plantations to reduce the use of pesticides, the worker rights issues that have arose in the last days at Camino Real and Degaflores highlight the need for an in-depth evaluation of the certification processes, especially in regards to labor rights.

Nevertheless, on May 7th, the companies paid workers' salaries and workers agreed to an extended wait for the payment of their benefits. SINTRAFLORES was founded in February 2009 and is a member of the independent flower union group, UNTRAFLORES.