TORONTO – The Ontario Public Service Employees Union will be amongst those holding a special screening of the National Film Board movie The Coca Cola Case
DATES: Dec. 1 and 4, 2009
TIME: 7 p.m.
LOCATION: NFB 150 John St. (corner of Richmond) Toronto
The Coca-Cola Case is a film about the rampant human rights abuses by the Coca-Cola Corporation in factories, sugar cane fields and small communities across the developing world. One of the main focuses of the film is Coca-Cola’s bottling plants in Colombia.
Colombia has the highest trade union murder rate in the world. Since 2002, more than 470 activists and workers have been kidnapped, tortured, and executed for their union affiliation. Their deaths are linked to the paramilitaries and in turn to corporate companies such as Coca-Cola. The paramilitaries will stop at nothing in their efforts to silence workers which in turn work with corporations like Coca-Cola.
“Coca-Cola perpetuates violent actions against any worker who comes between it and its corporate profits,” says Jen Giroux, OPSEU Executive Board Member. “It acts in a way meant to wipe out labour and human rights – while the Uribe government stands by and allows companies like Coca-Cola to act with complete impunity. A Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement will only legitimize this impunity”.
OPSEU activists in the Provincial Young Workers’ Committee were pivotal in raising the profile of the “Killer Coke” campaign among the 130,000 members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.
OPSEU activists will be part of a panel discussion following each screening. Ticket prices are $6 for adults, and $4 for NFB members, OPSEU members and students. Group rates are available.