Baruch plays kick the (Coke) can
Anna Aulova
Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: Features
Have you ever enjoyed a glass of Coca-Cola with your favorite meal? Since 1886, Coca-Cola has been the most popular soft drink in the world. Many disregard competing soda, Pepsi, in order to stay loyal to the most powerful brand on earth. But regardless of your choice of soda, would you still drink it if the corporation was involved in human rights abuse?
The multi-billion dollar company has recently been accused of implementing violent tactics in order to silence trade union leaders in Columbia.
A documentary, which was televised in England in 2007 and has won British Academy of Film and Television Awards, examined the allegations by traveling to South America to further investigate.
Such serious allegations first began in 2001 when lawsuits were filed on behalf of SINALTRAINAL, a labor union representing Coca-Cola workers in Colombia.
The documentary presents an inside look through employees who have been threatened, tortured and even killed by paramilitary security forces for criticizing the business and demanding better working conditions. Armed and ruthless, the troops are said to have acted with the permission of the company because they would not be allowed to enter the factories without the managers' knowledge.
Such human rights abuses have not been the first to surface. The Coca-Cola company faced similar lawsuits in the 70s and 80s from Guatemala. The people of the city are said to have "fought a battle with Coca-Cola for their jobs, their trade union and their lives."
Furthermore, El Salvador, which supplies sugar for the corporation from its sugar cane fields, has shown evidence of illegal child labor. Coca-Cola has been facing other lawsuits concerning water pollution and depletion as well as racial discrimination. The company has even spent over $200 million in settling complaints from African-American employees over refusals of promotion and higher pay.
The allegations of a complete lack of social responsibility have sparked the establishment of many campaigns against Coca-Cola products. The most controversial, Killer Coke, has worked relentlessly to raise awareness of the organization's strategies through its banners and advertisements, portraying dead men floating in a Coke glass and tortured bodies lying under the famous "Enjoy" slogan.
The multi-billion dollar company has recently been accused of implementing violent tactics in order to silence trade union leaders in Columbia.
A documentary, which was televised in England in 2007 and has won British Academy of Film and Television Awards, examined the allegations by traveling to South America to further investigate.
Such serious allegations first began in 2001 when lawsuits were filed on behalf of SINALTRAINAL, a labor union representing Coca-Cola workers in Colombia.
The documentary presents an inside look through employees who have been threatened, tortured and even killed by paramilitary security forces for criticizing the business and demanding better working conditions. Armed and ruthless, the troops are said to have acted with the permission of the company because they would not be allowed to enter the factories without the managers' knowledge.
Such human rights abuses have not been the first to surface. The Coca-Cola company faced similar lawsuits in the 70s and 80s from Guatemala. The people of the city are said to have "fought a battle with Coca-Cola for their jobs, their trade union and their lives."
Furthermore, El Salvador, which supplies sugar for the corporation from its sugar cane fields, has shown evidence of illegal child labor. Coca-Cola has been facing other lawsuits concerning water pollution and depletion as well as racial discrimination. The company has even spent over $200 million in settling complaints from African-American employees over refusals of promotion and higher pay.
The allegations of a complete lack of social responsibility have sparked the establishment of many campaigns against Coca-Cola products. The most controversial, Killer Coke, has worked relentlessly to raise awareness of the organization's strategies through its banners and advertisements, portraying dead men floating in a Coke glass and tortured bodies lying under the famous "Enjoy" slogan.
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