Worldwide 145 trade unionists killed last year

Being a trade unionist is becoming increasingly dangerous, according to a new report by the Brussels-based International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU). In all, 145 people worldwide were killed last year because of their trade union activities, the ICFTU, which represents 145 million workers worldwide, says in its annual survey of violation of trade union rights published on Oct 18. This is 16 more than in 2004. The report, which covers 136 countries on all five continents, also documents over 700 violent attacks on trade unionists, and nearly 500 death threats. ICFTU says trade unionists in many countries continue to face imprisonment, dismissal and discrimination, while "legal obstacles to trade union organizing and collective bargaining" are being used to deny millions of workers their rights. "This year's survey reveals just how far many governments and employers are prepared to go in suppressing workers' rights to seek a competitive edge in increasingly cut-throat global markets. Globalization must be put on a completely different path, with social concerns and ending exploitation at the center, rather than at the margins," said Guy Ryder, ICFTU general secretary. US citizens have the highest number of murders and death threats, while the Asia-Pacific region has the most trade unionists behind bars, the report says. Once again the worst affected country is Colombia where 99 trade unionists were killed last year and hundreds of other trade union members received death threats, the report says. ICFTU says although Colombia is often referred to as South America's "oldest parliamentary democracy," it has for the last 40 years been affected by a brutal civil war between left-wing guerrillas and the country's right-wing oligarchy. "This has led to the development of a widespread culture of violence, in which the price of a hired killer ranges from $20 to $200. The trade unionists who are killed there have mainly been murdered by the right-wing paramilitary who kill with impunity," Sara Hammerton, from ICFTU's trade union rights department said. "The government has not shown the political will to tackle the problem," she said. "It has clearly failed to bring the killers to justice. Furthermore, the government itself has sought to target and undermine trade unions through policies transparently designed to break up the public sector unions." Several workers were also killed in Belarus, Burma, Cambodia, China, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Iran, Nigeria, the Philippines, Turkey, Venezuela and Zimbabwe, while many more were beaten and injured, the report says. The report says that in one incident in the Philippines 14 people were killed when a bulldozer and armored personnel carriers were used to break through a picket. ICFTU says governments in many countries are doing nothing to respond to the problems faced by trade unionists. "We consider them the cause of the problem. In Belarus the government has brought the biggest trade union center firmly under its control and seeks to crush all independent trade unions. In Zimbabwe and Nigeria the government is the principal persecutor of the trade unions, particularly targeting their leaders," said Hammerton. China is also a major cause for concern for ICFTU. "Freedom of association is still denied to the country's vast workforce by a government which only recognizes the official union that once again proved ineffective in protecting workers' rights," the organization warns. In Europe, where the situation is less dramatic, ICFTU says authorities in several former Soviet states are actively trying to take control of trade unions. In Ukraine the security service has often visited trade union offices, and even the homes of union members, the report says. Georgia is also highlighted in the survey, due to harassment and detention of union representatives, detention of leaders, obstruction of union activities, and illegal seizure of trade union assets by the government. Workers in export processing zones (EPZs), areas established by governments to encourage manufacture of goods for export, are also being confronted by "continued anti-union repression," the report says. In Namibia, dogs were used to subdue workers at a Malaysian-owned textile factory. One of the female employees was severely bitten during the protest. The survey also looks at cases from EPZs in Fiji, India, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, highlighting the effect on trade union rights of fierce and unregulated competition in global markets. The report refers to one case in Bangladesh when female workers who attempted to form a union in a garments factory received death threats from the managing director, who subsequently hired criminals to beat up many of the women, leaving 25 of them badly injured. ICFTU says it is taking several forms of action to combat violence against trade unionists. "Where trade unionists face problems in their country that they are unable to deal with on their own, we send protests to the governments and where necessary the employers concerned, urging them to take the necessary action. We also seek the solidarity of ICFTU members, asking them to send similar protests," Hammerton said. ICFTU also assists national trade union centers in using the supervisory mechanisms of the International Labor Organization (ILO), a Geneva-based UN agency that promotes social justice and labor rights. "In particular we submit complaints to the ILO's Committee on Freedom of Association, or support complaints by national trade union organizations. We also seek to exert economic pressure on those countries that abuse trade union rights," said Hammerton.