Guatemala: Information on a seamen's union under the acronym UMEGUA, 1989-1990
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 March 1992 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | GTM10443 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Guatemala: Information on a seamen's union under the acronym UMEGUA, 1989-1990, 1 March 1992, GTM10443, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac0f20.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on a seamen's union under the acronym UMEGUA could not be found among the sources currently available to the IRBDC.
According to a representative of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), the only Guatemalan trade union that has until recently been a member of the ITF is the Unión Gremial de Marinos Mercantes de Guatemala (10 Mar. 1992). The representative added that the union, described by the source as a seafarers' organization, was registered in the ITF with the acronym SIGREMAGUA and reportedly had some 300 members (Ibid.). The mailing address available to the ITF is in Santo Tom s de Castilla, Izabal. SIGREMAGUA ceased to be a member of the ITF in 1992 after it failed to pay its membership dues (Ibid.).
A staff member of the Confederación General de Trabajadores de Guatemala (CGTG) was certain about the existence of a Sindicato Gremial de Marinos Mercantes de Guatemala, which is based in Puerto Barrios or Santo Tom s de Castilla (10 Mar. 1992). The staff member was not sure about the acronym of the group, but pointed out that SIGREMAGUA would likely correspond to a name starting with the word sindicato rather than unión, while UMEGUA may stand for Unión de Mercantes (or Marinos Mercantes) de Guatemala (Ibid.). The source added that unions and associations were the predecessors of syndicates or legal trade unions until a change in the law in 1985. A number of workers' groups existed under the name unión or asociación until 1985, when many became a sindicato or formed one parallel to their union or association (Ibid.). Finally, the source indicated that many uniones and asociaciones still exist and function despite having formed a sindicato, which has a different legal status (Ibid.).
Additional and/or corroborating information on the requested subject could not be found among the sources currently available to the IRBDC.
Bibliography
Confederación General de Trabajadores de Guatemala (CGTG), Guatemala. 10 March 1992. Telephone Interview with Staff Member.
International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), London (U.K.). 10 March 1992. Telephone Interview with Representative.