The case of the activities of the Coca Cola Company in Colombia is one of the biggest thorns in the flesh of the conglomerate. The allegations against the firm are quite serious, and they may prove that multinationals can go to great lengths to attain their goals. These are some of the most selfish acts that can be carried out, since there is actually no comparison between the success of a firm and the lives of individuals.
The fact that most of the unionists and activists who have been assassinated, have died due to their interests in the rights of the workers implies that the firm is not willing to listen to the workers or pay them decent wages. The use of paramilitary units to carry out assassinations in the country means that the governmental bodies, as well as the corporations, view these acts as justifiable.
It is unacceptable for anybody to lose his or her life, so that a firm may not increase the wages that they pay to their employees. The fact that people who dare to raise their voices are dealt with decisively in the name of saving money, means that the firm holds no value to the lives of the people who they employ in most of the developing countries.
The bottling plants that Coca Cola operates in developing countries were opened with the aim of acquiring cheap labor, as well as getting raw materials at lower prices. However, with the rising cost of living, the corporation ought to consider the plight of the workers and take into consideration, their woes. The firm can start addressing these issues by improving on the working conditions that they offer their workers in the region.
Instead of attacking the leaders who dare to talk about issues that affect the workers every day, the firm had better look for ways to start checking the issues such as dialogue with them. This is because most of the workers feel the same way, and it is like a snowball that will never stop rolling. Instead of slowing down and stopping, it will keep on gathering more snow as it goes down the hill.
The matter of the workers rights has to be addressed if the corporate body intends to carry on with business. Killing off each person who raises work-related issues will only leave them in turmoil since there will only be unrest, and the plight of the workers will remain unsolved. Even if they use the paramilitary units to eliminate dissent in the ranks, the core issues will always remain unattended.
There will always be voices raising matters concerning the plight of these workers, and as much as the corporations try to silence them using whichever way they feel is appropriate, they will just have to start dealing with the fact that the issues are much bigger than they may think that they are.
With the laws that enable the afflicted workers to sue the corporate bodies within the borders of the United States of America, comes the dawn of a new era. The corrupt government departments of the smaller nations have not been able to handle the issues, since the levels of corruption have reached untouchable heights. This action is a step in the right direction.