Colombia: Iván Duque and the National Unemployment Committee end the first meeting without agreement on the protests

The National Committee of the Unemployment of Colombia has criticized that “there was no empathy from the Government” with the reasons for the protests in a first meeting with the president, Iván Duque, so it has not been possible to reach an agreement to end the mobilizations who have been walking the Colombian streets for thirteen days, while the Executive makes a positive assessment of the meeting. After a meeting in Casa de Nariño of more than three hours, the committee has urged the authorities to “stop the violence against people that they are legitimately exercising the right to protest, “while the Government has insisted that the blockades that affect various Colombian cities since the start of the marches end. Iván Duque and the vice president, Marta Lucía, were present at the meeting. Ramírez, as well as the representative of Colombia to the UN, Carlos Ruiz, a representative of the Catholic Church, the High Commissioner for Peace, Miguel Ceballos, and the representatives of the The Unemployment Committee, which has already announced that there will be a new mobilization for May 12, as they demand that the Government recognize that it is a negotiation and reject the abuse of the security forces in the peaceful demonstrations. Colombia have denounced that “the Government has evaded the word negotiation and has not assumed the commitment that the repression would not be repeated,” lamented the former president of the Central Unitary Labor (CUT), Diógenes Arguela, present at the meeting , who has pointed out that “without that, for us, there are no guarantees.”On the part of the Government, the high commissioner for peace, Miguel Ceballos, has reported that both have agreed to reject violence and have shown “zero tolerance for any conduct by the public force that goes against the constitution and the law,” it states’ El Tiempo ‘. He also pointed out that “the president has expressed the spirit of building a respectful and productive space for agreements” and that they are aware that “there are differences in terminology”, since from the committee “they speak of a negotiation. We want to go further clearly. The result of any negotiation is an agreement. Negotiations are not done to negotiate, but to reach agreements “, has specified, collects ‘El Espectador’.” In this line, we proposed and we hope a positive response from the National Unemployment Committee to consider holding a meeting of a technical nature with the presence and support of the UN and the Church, “added Ceballos. Among the issues discussed in this first approach between the Government and the organizers of the national strike, the latter have called for the withdrawal of the health bill, as well as a mass vaccination. Also a basic income of at least a monthly legal minimum wage and the defense of national production.On the other hand, subsidies to MSMEs and employment with rights and a policy that defends sovereignty and food security, and also zero enrollment and no alternation of education, as well as non-discrimination based on gender, sexual and ethnic diversity. forced eradication of illicit crops and spraying with glyphosate, while the Government has raised six points of discussion that have included mass vaccination, safe reactivation, non-violence, protection of the most vulnerable, stabilization of public finances and zero enrollment. At the moment, no new date has been set for the parties to meet again, although both parties have agreed that it was an “exploratory meeting”, so more meetings are being contemplated. Duque began last week a round of dialogues with different groups and social sectors to try to reach agreements that end the mobilizations in the country.The protests that have shaken Colombia for twelve days and that have claimed at least 27 deaths According to the Government – more than 40 according to civil organizations – they began as a mobilization against the tax reform proposed by the Government of President Iván Duque, but once it is withdrawn, seven demands remain that will be on the table in the negotiations between the Executive and the National Unemployment Committee.