The Coca-Cola Company

U.S. Court Dismisses Colombia Lawsuits

October 6, 2006 edition

A U.S. District Court in Miami has dismissed two Coca-Cola bottlers in Colombia from lawsuits filed over labor allegations and ordered that the cases be closed.

In issuing that order, the Court also rejected a request to rename The Coca-Cola Company in the lawsuit, which originally was filed in 2001. The court had dropped The Coca-Cola Company as a defendant in the case in 2003.

The Coca-Cola Company said in a statement Tuesday that it is gratified by the decision, and the Company reaffirmed its belief that the claims in the lawsuit were inaccurate and based on distorted versions of events.

The Company said it hopes this ruling will help put this case behind it and allow everyone to focus on working constructively to ensure the rights and safety of Coca-Cola workers in Colombia and worldwide. The Company remains open to discussions with everyone who shares a commitment to finding constructive solutions to workplace issues in areas of conflict around the world.

In fact, the Company is sponsoring three conferences organized by the International Business Leaders Forum to encourage dialogue on how businesses and civil society can promote peace, economic and social development and human rights in countries affected by internal conflict. The first conference was held in Colombia.

Earlier this year the Company entered into the U.N. Global Compact, a voluntary initiative that pledges we will promote and continually strive for improvements in human rights, labor standards, the environment and anti-corruption.

Regardless of the court’s ruling, The Coca-Cola Company also continues to support the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) independent and impartial investigation and evaluation of labor relations and workers’ rights practices of Coca-Cola bottlers in Colombia. The ILO, a specialized multilateral organization within the United Nations responsible for establishing international labor standards, agreed to assess our system’s labor relations and workers’ rights practices in Colombia. The Company had actively sought this independent, third-party review and welcomes the ILO assessment.

Read our Company statement »