Global Trade Union Rights Situation Worsening – New ITUC Report

[Omaha Steve]

http://talkingunion.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/global-trade-union-rights-situation-worsening-%E2%80%93-new-ituc-report/

Posted on June 13, 2009 by dsalaborblogmoderator

76 Trade Unionists Murdered in 2008 Thousands of Dismissals and Arrests Repression of Striking Workers in 40 Countries

Brussels, 10 June 2009 (ITUC OnLine): 2008 was another difficult and often dangerous year for trade unionists around the world, according to this year’s ITUC Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights Violations, which details abuses of fundamental workers’ rights in 143 countries. 76 trade unionists were killed due to their actions to defend workers’ rights, and many more were attacked physically or subjected to harassment, intimidation or arrest by the authorities. While the worldwide total of killings fell from 91 the previous year, the number of killings in Colombia, which is notorious as the most dangerous place on earth for trade unionists, reached 49 – an increase of 10 over the previous year. The upsurge in killings took place despite assurances by the Administration of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe that the situation was improving.

Aside from the appalling toll in Colombia, nine unionists were murdered in Guatemala, which in recent years has seen an increase in violent attacks against trade union representatives and members. Four were killed in the Philippines as well as in Venezuela, three in Honduras, two in Nepal and one each in Iraq, Nigeria, Panama, Tunisia and Zimbabwe, where the Mugabe regime continued its reign of terror against the country’s union movement. In a number of instances, governments were either directly or indirectly involved in the killings. A total of 50 serious death threats were recorded across seven countries as well, along with some 100 cases of physical assaults across 25 countries.

Governments in at least 9 countries (Burma, Burundi, China, Cuba, Iran, South Korea, Tunisia, Turkey and Zimbabwe) were responsible for imprisoning trade unionists on account of their legitimate activities in support of working people.

“Governments in every region are clearly failing to protect fundamental workers’ rights, and in several cases were themselves responsible for heavy repression of these rights. The fact that certain countries, such as Colombia, Guatemala and the Philippines appear year after year on the death list shows that the authorities are, at best, incapable of ensuring protection and in some cases are complicit with unscrupulous employers in the murders,” said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder.

Some 7,500 cases of dismissal of workers involved in trade union activity were recorded in a total of 68 countries, including 20 countries in Africa alone. These cases are, however, only the tip of the iceberg, with a great many more dismissals not being recorded. The country with the worst record of dismissals was Turkey, where more than 2,000 were documented and where the government remained intolerant of union activity in general. Indonesia (600) was the next highest, with hundreds also dismissed in Malawi, Pakistan, Tanzania and Argentina.

FULL story at link.