WATER ABLAZE - Patagonia Sin Represas

murder was committed in 1986 in a firm belonging to Nestlé, which
pursues a similar works policy to that of Panamco (Coca Cola). Since
then, 14 trade unionists have been murdered, seven of them at
Panamco alone. Three were killed during the negotiations for new
wage settlements. On November 28, 1996, for example, the union had
to take part in compulsory negotiations at the bottling plant in Carepa,
aimed at reaching a new wage settlement. Talks had to be completed
by December 5 at the very latest. The only answer we got from
Panamco on this day was the murder of one of our union members,
who was shot dead at the entrance gate. A few hours later, that same
afternoon, all employees were forced to assemble and officially leave
the union without delay. On December 12, one week after the killing
in Carepa, we informed Panamco, the U.S. Embassy and the Colombian
president of these events. But we got no reaction whatsoever.”
The protests and campaigns triggered by these murders have
meanwhile reached other countries. In the United States, ten
universities have stopped the sale of Coca Cola beverages and in
Europe, too, opposition is mounting, for example in Italy, where Coca
Cola was one of the main sponsors of the Winter Olympics. In order
to polish up its image, the company sponsored the 2006 World Cup in
Germany and in 2007, in response to international calls for a boycott
of its products, it decided to finance WWF water projects – another of
the typical whitewash campaigns.
Despite Coca Cola’s involvement in these serious incidents, there
are some entertaining anecdotes: in March 2004, the world’s largest
beverage producer was planning to stir up the British market by
introducing a new brand of “very high-quality” mineral water by the
name of Dasani. It cost over €10 million to launch the product on the
market and dollar signs were already lighting up the eyes of the Coca
Cola people, when it was revealed that the “mineral water” came from
a tap in the London suburb of Sidcup. Dasani “mineral water” was to
cost €2∙80 per litre. Straight from the tap, the same water cost 0∙076
cents per litre.
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