United Steelworkers strongly condemn the recent tragedy and murder of 13 people in Choloma, Cortes, Honduras, where four union activists of Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Empresa Gildan Activewear San Miguel S.A. (SITRAGSAM), a labour organization representing apparel workers of the Canadian-owned Gildan San Miguel maquila factory, lost their lives to armed assailants on the evening of Saturday, June 24.
Among the victims were SITRAGSAM union president Xiomara Beatriz Cocas and her son, Eduardo Meléndez Cocas. Other union delegates murdered include Delmer Josué García (former SITRAGSAM president), José Rufino Ortiz and Lesther Arnulfo Almendarez. Gildan had recently announced the closure of the San Miguel maquila factory, which will result in 2700 job losses. This massacre also comes at a moment when Honduras is experiencing an increase in the number of threats and violent crimes, as well as a rise in tough military police tactics.
A Steelworkers Humanity Fund staff is currently in Honduras, visiting with labour partner organizations that work directly with workers and unions to advance health and safety protections at work. We offered our condolences to all the families of those affected by this massacre. USW stands in solidarity with SITRAGSAM in their demands for justice, in their ongoing support to protect workers’ rights at Gildan San Miguel, and in calling for a full investigation of these terrible crimes.
Media Contact:
Guillaume Charbonneau, Executive Director, Steelworkers Humanity Fund, 416-544-5944, gcharbonneau@usw.ca
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