Union Deaths Rise Around World, as Recession Heightens Attacks on Labor Rights

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/6095/union_deaths_rise_around_world_as_recession_heightens_attacks_on_labor_righ/

Friday June 11 3:01 pm By Akito Yoshikane

The number of trade unionists who were killed rose significantly in 2009, a year when the global downturn spurred governments and companies to use the turmoil to undermine workers' rights in countries around the woirld—including the United States, a new report says.

An annual survey released Wednesday by the International Confederation of Trade Unions (ITUC) found a 30 percent increase in union deaths as the economic and financials crises led to millions of job losses and heightened labor violations.


Protesters hold posters of the trade unionist Jacques Bino, killed in February 2009 during clashes on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, on February 21, 2009 in Paris. The rally was called by the 'Collectif des originaires d'outremer' (Overseas people's group) in support of residents of France's overseas Caribbean territories. (Photo by FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images)


More than 101 union members and activists died last year against the 76 in the previous year. Colombia accounted for 60 percent of the total union deaths worldwide with 48 killed, followed by Guatemala (16) and Honduras (12). Mexico and Bangladesh each had six deaths in a survey that documented people defending workers' rights across 140 countries.

The findings, released just ahead of an annual conference by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva, said global leaders, companies and public officials have all clamped down on labor unions and activists.

The United States is no exception, as problems in legislation and in the workplace continue to thrwart organizing efforts. While the law ostensibly guarantees labor unions, they fall short of protecting labor rights through restrictive legal barriers or non-enforcement of regulations.

From private companies to government agencies, employers are undermining unions through tactics including union busting, bad-faith negotiations, and opposition to collective bargaining. And undocumented, domestic workers, and public-sector employees are simply excluded from the National Labor Relations Act.

FULL story at link.