With the greatest respect, my brother, I beg to differ with you. In politics in democratic societies, such as this one, in terms of the outcome of an election, we can all lay claim to what the significance of the meaning is when it comes to trade unionists. All of us have done it at one point or another in our lives who belong to the trade union movement and who are, indeed, the leadership of the trade union movement. I certainly have heard it through many of our unions laying claim to certain victories, or not, depending on what it does.
Clearly what democratic trade unionism means, and I certainly don't take this opportunity to suggest that I'm lecturing, but you know as well as I do that what it means to all of us in the trade union movement is that when we are in a democratic organization, it gives us the right to not always agree. Clearly, 86% of those who are organized in your country do not agree with you, sir. And I say that with all the greatest respect to my brothers. They don't agree. Those who I've had the experience to talk to—and I've talked to members of CUT here in this country, and numerous years ago—who fled your country because of the threats, and indeed the violence perpetrated on their families....
We still see it continuing to this day--albeit at a lower rate, and that's to be commended. One needs to say that is a good direction. The problem is that still, in my eyes, and in the eyes of some of the parliamentarians in this country, it needs to continue to work in a downward direction to where true free and democratic trade unionists feel that they're not imperiled. At this point, in Colombia, that's still the case: it is one of the few countries in the world where, indeed, to be a free and true democratic leader imperils your life. There are not many countries in the world where that's the case.
All that's being asked—Mr. Cardin asked it earlier, and indeed a previous committee talked about it--is for a human rights committee that would look have an oversight role so that we would eventually come back with a report to see if you're on the right track. But you're not there yet. To suggest that we should just go ahead with free trade while this is not eradicated is the wrong direction for us.
I say again to you, I think you ought to be working with your trade union central so, indeed, you come with a homogeneous trade union position. Because you are trade unionists, my brothers, similar to what I am here in this country, and you work on behalf of workers. And it is, indeed, a solemn oath that we take to those workers, that we work on behalf of them, not necessarily work on behalf of a particular government. That's who we work for as trade unionists.
So I would only offer to you that perhaps instead of working on behalf of the government of the country, you work on behalf of the trade union movement and the workers you represent.