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AFL-CIO: Honduras Coup Is ‘Unconscionable’ |
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The AFL-CIO today called on the U.S. government and the international community, particularly the Organization of American States and the United Nations, to “make every effort” to restore constitutional order in Honduras and reinstate democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted in a military coup Sunday.
In a statement, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney called the coup “an unconscionable attack on the fundamental rights and liberties of the Honduran people.” He urged governments to condemn the coup and withhold recognition of the current government. Zelaya was ousted after pushing for a referendum on proposed changes that would allow the president to run for re-election and create new procedures for amending the constitution.
The recent internal conflict relating to the proposed constitutional referendum cannot in any way justify the extra-constitutional measures undertaken by the armed forces. These measures are a flagrant violation of the most basic democratic principles and of the rule of law.
Sweeney said eyewitness reports are coming in that thousands of people, including trade union members, were tear-gassed by the military simply for assembling to demand the return to democratic order and the reinstating of Zelaya.
We call on the United States government to also take all measures within its diplomatic powers to ensure that all Honduran civilians, and particularly trade unionists and social activists denouncing the coup, are safe and secure and will not be victimized by violence and repression.
Sweeney said the federation stands in solidarity with our sister organizations of Honduras, the national trade union centrals—the Unitary Central of Honduran Workers (CUTH), the Confederation of Honduran Workers (CTH) and the General Workers Central (CGT)—as well as with the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA), representing more than 45 million workers of this hemisphere, in condemning the coup.
Meanwhile, three major public-sector unions in Honduras announced plans for a general strike today in support of Zelaya, according to CNN. “It will be an indefinite strike,” Oscar Garcia, vice president of the Honduran water workers union told CNN.
We don’t recognize this new government imposed by the oligarchy and we will mount our campaign of resistance until President Manuel Zelaya is restored to power.
Garcia estimated that 30,000 public-sector workers, as well as some private-sector workers and peasant farmers, might join the strike.
Finally, a group of five U.S. union members led by Bill Camp, executive secretary of the Sacramento (Calif.) Labor Council, who were visiting Honduras and got caught up in the turmoil of the coup, were able to leave the country yesterday and return home.
12 Comments
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Are people really this clueless as to what was happening in Honduras and what had to be done to keep constitutional order? This was the only way to keep Zelaya from becoming a dictator. His actions were unconstitutional and he took it upon himself to threaten his way into another term.
Get a clue
Oh, surprise, Big Labor sides with Castro and Chavez.
Note to “WHAT!!!” - It is you who are clueless.
Meanwhile, the U.S. labor movement could learn from our Central American brethren - the best weapon we have in the fight for justice is a General Strike. We won’t get it from Al Franken or conservative Democrats like Dianne Feinstein, and we won’t get real money invested in real jobs as long as our government wastes millions on unending and unwinnable wars and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.
How refreshing to read that the AFL-CIO is no longer supporting military coups and dictatorships as it did under past US Administrations. The American Institute for Free Labor Development (AIFLD) used to be a AFL-CIO front for the CIA when it promoted and staged coups all over Latin America. In these coups, labor leaders were beaten, tortured, imprisoned and “disappeared” (murdered). This went on for decades. Thank God things have changed in the US labor movement, and solidarity has some meaning again.
As to the first two comments: would you folks support a military coup in the US if you strongly disagreed (as I assume you do) with the Obama Administration? If not, why are you supporting it in another country? At this point no other country in the world supports the coup, but the US should? You support the monied elites in Honduras rather than the workers and ordinary people who are being gassed in the streets for protesting the coup? Pardon me, but your fascism is showing.
Only people who are afraid of elections support coups. The next step for the US State Department is to follow the law and cutoff aid until the Hondurans are allowed to settle their differences democratically.
Cookj,
Yes, AFL-CIO is now batting alongside Chavez, Castro,Ortega, and the FARC. That’s change all right, but not for the better.
Zelaya was trying to stage an illegal coup of his own with the help of Chavez and in defiance of Honduras’s Supreme Court, its Congress, and his own political party. So I reject your premise
People who are not well informed skip over the fact that Zelaya HAD due process. As a matter of fact, he had over 40 of his attorneys fight the supreme court ruling deeming his actions uncostitutional. His attorneys even fought for appeals in higher courts who again ruled in favor of the Honduras Constitution.
People who are not well informed, also do not know that during his last days in office, Zelaya had blatantly become an outlaw, PERSONALLY leading an asault with deadly wheapons and theft of material confiscated by Honduras courts.
Is this the kind of Leaders the OAS wants in office ?
Also, uninformed people do not know the fact that Honduras constitution makes a provision of removal of ANY PUBLIC OFFICIAL (does not exclude the president) that is proven to have broken Petrean Articles in our constitution (articles that prevent Chavez-Like Regimes). Remember, Zelaya had 40 lawyers trying to disprove this in court but failed to do so.
So Zelaya DID have his day in court. It may not look like a US impeachment, but it IS proper Rule of Law for Honduras constitution. Please, Mr. Obama, respect this and let Honduras deal with this within our own constitutional laws and not by what you think our laws should be.
Let’s set the facts straight: Dictator Micheletti, is just that, a
dictator! Presidents are elected, this guy came to power by militarily kidnapping president Zelaya who was elected by the people. Second, if the people really didn’t want him, there was an election coming up. Why couldn’t they wait just a little bit longer till the election. Third, why is this dictator so afraid of a free press and is jamming TV, radio and internet signals of those who oppose him? Fourth, why is that his supporters are allowed to demonstrate and rally, but his opposition is beaten, tear-gased and shot at with rubber bullets?
The truth is that the the super rich of this Honduras don’t want the poor to have any rights, they are afraid of change. And yes, there are foreign powers at play, it is Venezuela fighting for the rights of the poor and marginalized and Israel and Hong Kong fighting for the rich and powerful so that they can keep with the tradition of oppressing their own people.
Those are all the facts. Now you decide for yourself and if you don’t believe me, just Google those things and you will see for yourself.
Politiko,
How right you are about Mitcheletti.
The marchers you see shouting and singing on the television are public employees that are sucking up to him and their wives along with business owners and their employees that they have forced to participate under threat of loosing their jobs. The factories even supplied buses so that the people could not escape on they way to the march.
I know this because I am here right now talking to the people on the street. I have talked to many people that would like to go and participate in the marches in favor of Zelaya but cannot afford to take the time off work or because their bosses will fire them if they do.
Look at the people front line people marching for Mitcheletti, they wear nice clothes and expensive sun glasses. Look at those that march for Zelaya, they are poor working class people.
Open your eyes people of the world and see what is happening.
Lots of people have criticized Zelaya because of his relationship with Chaves, but has anybody taken the time to see what Chavez has done for his country?
I do not want to take the side of Zelaya nor do I try to defend him. I have seen no proof except what Mitcheletti has talked about on the television, which seems to be mostly accusations and little proof. But it is obvious that Mitcheletti is a criminal and should not be allowed to rule the country.
If Honduras is not sure about the innocence of Zelaya, then let Mitcheletti present all of the proof to the public and let the legal process take care of the problem.
people of the world should be waking up to the facts… corporate gangsters have economically enslaved america and now are moving unto a grandier scale ” Global Economic Enslavement” These people whom are filthy rich from ‘ROBBING” people are CRIMINALS, the REAL criminals, They care NOT for our planet for future generations, they care ONLY for cash, all of them probably would sell their own mothers or children into prostitution for CASH ! They are disgusting, evil, criminals! People of Honduras surely have the right to decide their own government, Just like OUR american constitution gives us the right ( supposably) to abolish OUR government, So to me if Obama and the world tell the honduras people they hav e to do this or that? he is also telling the american people that we have not the right to abolish criminals from OUR government halls???
It is very encouraging to see at least one nation stand up to the leftist thugs that have seemed to run rampant in our hemisphere these last few months. Too bad that nation is no longer the United States. The so-called “protests” in the Honduran capital are eerily similar to the same political theatre that is staged by the paid “protestors” in our own nation. Too bad we will never hear the real story behind this. How many people will be slaughtered by leftists and then have it blamed on “those nasty right-wingers”? Oh, to be young and naive again and to be able to swallow all the sad sob stories about poor Zelaya.
Just think of all the twenty-somethings swallowing all this bilge hook, line, and sinker…….the evil rich, etc.
As a Honduran, no we don’t want ZELAYA. No I’m not rich nor is my family in honduras. Everyone here that support Zelaya support him because they don’t live in Honduras and this situation does not realy affect them. 90% of hondurans don’t want Zelaya the other 10% are pure ignorants that would sell their votes for a few pesos. Zelaya has no respect for the LAW and his removal was constitutional per our laws. Please stay out of it if this does not concern you!!! Pleoples lives are at risk here and the Sovereignty of a country. If you want to talk trash talk about CHAVEZ and CASTRO and IRAN and SOUTH KOREA and don’t bother us!!!